


♡ save me! ♡ (tsukkiyama lifeguard! AU)

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!, ハイパープロジェクション演劇「ハイキュー!!」| Hyper Projection Play "Haikyuu!!" RPF
Genre: Akaashi Keiji Is So Done, Alternate Universe - College/University, BL, Bokuto Koutarou is a Dork, Bottom Tsukishima Kei, British Tsukishima, Cute, Depressed Yamaguchi Tadashi, Flirty Oikawa Tooru, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Implied Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Lifeguard Yamaguchi, M/M, Manga & Anime, Mentioned Haiba Lev, Mentioned Hinata Shouyou, Mentioned Kageyama Tobio, Mentioned Oikawa Tooru, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Minor Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor Kurotsukki - Freeform, Nonbinary Akaashi Keiji, Nonbinary Kozume Kenma, Power Bottom Yamaguchi Tadashi, Protective Tsukishima Kei, Romantic Fluff, Top Tsukishima Kei, Top Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Tsukishima Kei is a Dork, TsukkiYama Month, University Student Bokuto Koutarou, Yamaguchi Tadashi's Freckles, a really cute lifeguard, except there's ANGST and some spicy stuff, haikyuu!! - Freeform, minor oiyama, this is just another fluff filled fic, yamaguchi is a lifeguard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 05:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12904734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Just like how every single one of his lonely summers went, Tsukishima Kei planned to shut himself inside his air-conditioned room and spend all his days reading books and indulging in ice cream without ever once going outside this summer.Nearly drowning to death during a beach visit and being rescued by Yamaguchi Tadashi, a cute and freckled lifeguard he quickly developed a puppy-loving, head-over-heels crush on was definitely not one of his plans.





	1. freckles

**Author's Note:**

> i'm excited to be finally revealing my first multiple chapter fic! i've been working on this whole month for tsukkiyama month 2017, and i am so exhausted yet so relieved to see it done,,
> 
> i also made a new tumblr so follow @darlingmochi if you want to see some of the tsukkiyama doodles i made for tskym month :-)
> 
> if you'd like to read my other fics, check out my profile for more tskym, klance, kagehina, or kuroken fluff ♡  
> if there's a pairing you'd like to see my write for, don't be afraid to leave suggestions! i'd kinda like to branch out of tsukkiyama, or just haikyuu and voltron in general and write for other ships & fandoms! 
> 
> just a few "warnings" that didn't fit any of the options for the warnings tags:
> 
> sexual harassment on chapter four  
> a teeeenssyyy bit of smut & spiciness on chapter seven...  
> mentions of bullying, anxiety, and depression on chapters six, eight, and nine
> 
> otherwise, it's mostly cute fluff! 
> 
> enjoy ♡

> For Tsukishima Kei, summer days in the Miyagi Prefecture meant indulging in strawberry sherbet, listening to his favourite Japanese pop songs while lying down on the cool futon in his room, and losing himself in books from his to-read list.
> 
> The first day of his long-awaited summer break had just passed, and his peaceful plans had already fallen apart.
> 
> As he adjusted the wet cloth that was sitting on his forehead, Tsukishima couldn’t stop thinking about how he was lucky to even be alive. If it wasn’t for an adorably freckled lifeguard, He could’ve died today.
> 
>   
> 

“I don’t want to go to the beach.” Tsukishima whined while he had his head rested against his friend Kuroo Tetsurou’s bare shoulder. 

Kuroo hid his laugh with a devilish grin and turned to him, lightly booping his nose with his fingertip. 

“Don’t touch my nose.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes.

  


A smaller boy sitting in the back next to Kuroo pinned the loose strands of his pudding coloured hair back with a Chococat pin. He had a chocolate filled Taiyaki cake stuffed between his lips.

“Yeah, beaches are lame.”  The boy’s voice was barely understandable. 

Kuroo shook his head and wiped away the chocolate that was dribbling from the corner of his boyfriend’s mouth.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You can’t talk while you’re eating, Kenma!” Kuroo pinched Kenma’s snubby nose before planting a kiss on it.

Kenma waited to finish a bite of his Taiyaki just to sigh and mumble “Whatever.” as his reply.

  


“Do you have a nose fetish or something? You look like a creep when you’re doing that.” Tsukishima asked. He avoided Kuroo’s face by looking down at the cat design peeking behind the pocket of his white sleeveless shirt. The cat was flipping him off, and he felt slightly offended by it. 

“Nah! I have a fetish for boys who don’t like the beach.” Kuroo made an irritatingly adorable half-smirk that Tsukishima was close to slapping off his face.

  


He didn’t act like it, but he actually liked his friends. He even liked Kuroo, and how he smiled with his eyes and adored teasing Tsukishima almost as much as he loved his actual boyfriend.

  


One thing he didn’t like at all was the beach. 

He didn’t like the fact that his skin turned a bright red after a tiny amount of the sun.  He was even paler than Kenma, who barely went outside and only left his house to buy apple pies from the market that was just a street away from where he lived.

Sunblock couldn’t save Tsukishima from the scorching pain he suffered on his sunburned skin. Tsukishima still had patches of faded reds and pinks on his cheeks and the tip of his nose from burns that were from years ago. It doesn’t help when people say the rosy pigment on his face is cute because it looks like as if he’s blushing; he only gets embarrassed and would actually start to blush! 

If it wasn’t the sun, it was that he didn’t know how to swim. Since childhood, he’d spend all of his vacations at the beach sitting alone, bundled up cozy in a protective layer of towels. He wasn’t looking forward to becoming a jealous towel burrito wrap while he would hopelessly watch his friends have fun.

  


“I don’t know about you guys, but my fetish is cuties with killer makeup.” Bokuto glanced at his boyfriend sitting beside him, who was lucky enough to be in the passenger seat covered with fine leather and Bokuto’s love.

The boy attentively focused on the little compact mirror in front of him, flawlessly tracing the crease of his lower eyelid with the finest and darkest liner pencil. Despite the amount of bumps the car hit in the road, there was no smudge or smear on his face. 

Tsukishima had to admit that the pristine work looked like magic, and as the boy applied a highlight on his cheekbones that radiated brighter than the sun itself, he probably had just discovered a new fetish: Akaashi Keiji putting on makeup. 

“Akaashi-san, won’t water ruin your makeup?” Kenma questioned.

“It’s waterproof.” Akaashi still kept fixated while he outlined the soft, angled shape of his dark eyebrows. 

“That’s my smart and sexy Akaaashiiii!~” Bokuto gushed. 

Just a moment after Bokuto’s spilled his heart out for his sweetie, he nearly skimmed another car’s mirror on the road. A few inches closer and the collision could’ve resulted into a full-scale car crash.

Akaashi slowly closed his eyes, took a breath to regain his composure, and opened them to continue his makeup routine. “That’s my Bokuto.”

  


At a distance, Tsukishima could see Lev, the quirky Russian-Japanese boy lying on his belly with his head on top of his crossed arms on a towel. Lev was only one in the group that was the slightest bit paler than Tsukishima, but he got a subtle and light bronze colour from the summer sun that made his skin darker now. He cursed Lev’s ability to tan without getting a sunburn and then walked towards him with his friends.

Tsukishima felt pathetic lying next to Lev and a snoozing Kenma on the towel while they both ate desserts. Just as he predicted, everyone else was enjoying the cool ocean waves.  


Tsukishima was sadly staring at a cookie that he held with his fingers when Lev suddenly tickled his waist. 

He tried to escape it, but Tsukishima couldn’t control his sudden fit of giggling.

“Awww, I knew it! You’re ticklish!” Lev laughed along with him. His emerald green eyes glittered with a pure and childish happiness.

“Lev Haiba, I swear to every single god in the universe that if you ever pull that on me again I won’t hesitate to drop kick you all the way down to hell.” Tsukishima distanced himself away from the silver-haired boy and his stupid smile. 

The glimmer in Lev’s eyes faded, and he set his head back down on his arms. “Aw. I was just trying to make you happy...You look really sad.”

Tsukishima reached for a family-sized strawberry pocky box and ate as many sticks he could at once. Tsukishima hated that he was about to start off summer sunburned and chubby. He could already feel the sweets make his thin body puff up.

“I thought you would like being tickled. Yaku loves it!”

Lev was lying. Tsukishima’s seen Yaku scratch and kick at him like a cat whenever he tried to even make the lightest of touch on his body.

“I’m not your boyfriend. I don’t like being tickled.” 

“Why are you sad?”

Too worn down by the heat to think of something mean to say, he only moved his shoulders up and down. “I don’t know.” He mumbled.

“Wanna swim?? It’s fun and it’ll make you happier!”  

With the way the day went so far, Tsukishima thought that he wouldn’t have minded drowning. 

He avoided saying a morbidly sarcastic comment and simply admitted that he didn’t know how to swim. Tsukishima finally agreed to his desperate offers for swimming lessons in the secluded area for children just to shut Lev up.

At the time, he couldn’t think of much that could go wrong. 

  


“You’re pulling on my arm so hard, it’s going to rip off. Stop being so rough.” Tsukishima whined. Bokuto’s muscle strength and strong grip was too much for his slender arms. From the back, Kuroo attempted to position Tsukishima’s legs into the proper ‘swimming stance’.

“C’mon Tsukki, don’t let your legs fall! You got this!”

“Don’t call me Tsukki!” It was hard for Tsukishima to control his desire for kicking Kuroo in the face. 

Lev attempted to give him “emotional support”, which meant pumping his fists and cheering “Gooooo Tsukki!!!” loudly enough for the whole beach to hear. Tsukishima wondered if Lev was purely simple-minded and innocent, or if he enjoyed making him suffer through more embarrassment in the swimming lesson. 

Akaashi stood beside Bokuto. He stared at his darling with a look of concern and second-hand embarrassment for Tsukishima. 

After a while, Bokuto triumphantly rested his hands on his hips and had a beaming smile, like a proud dad’s. 

“Alright, why don’t ya try swimming by yourself a little? Are ya confident enough to do that?” Bokuto ran his fingers through his cloud grey and black streaked locks of hair that wistfully swept across his face. The messy style of his bangs when his hair wasn’t gelled and was wet represented Bokuto perfectly; Wild and outgoing. 

“Sure.” Tsukishima tried to strain his sore muscles to hold onto a floatie ring and move himself forward against the raging waves. 

He wasn’t even a few seconds past the first wave before he felt himself submerge completely underwater and lose grip of the floatie. He tried his best to swim back up to the surface, but another wave swept through that was much more forceful than the last. Tsukishima found himself trapped underwater and far away from the kid’s zone, flowing further and further away with each coming wave.

His heart and head were pounding rapidly, and the nearly pitch black view of the murky ocean water soon turned into a bokeh; He’s seen these same dizzying and scattering lights whenever he started to feel faint. 

The flashing visions became whiter, and its sudden bright impact made him feel blinded. 

After what seemed like an eternity of hearing crashing waves that reminded him that he was slowly dying, he started to hear voices that were loud and panicked. They weren’t understandable, there were too many of them overlapping each other in a frenzy. 

Soon, he started to feel other things besides seaweed grazing his skin and the icy cold water; He could sense the warmth of another body near him. Tsukishima felt hands that were as soft and reassuring as an angel’s holding his arms tight.

The sudden sensation of being lifted overwhelmed Tsukishima, and he felt dizzier than before. The view before him turned sheet white, with the sporadic flashes of yellow lights. 

  


This was it! He was dead, and he regretted not eating more strawberry flavoured sweets and kicking Kuroo in the face.  

Ever so swiftly, he felt something touch his lips. It was smooth and pressed against his mouth gently. The light and heavenly trace that lingered on Tsukishima’s lips reminded him of the same angelic hands that touched him. 

All Tsukishima could think was how surprising it was that he got into heaven. Why was an angel touching him so tenderly? 

The sensation returned on his lips once more. He felt warm air flowing inside of him. The same blows of air suddenly gave Tsukishima a rush of energy. He started to become conscious of his own body. He realized that he could twitch his fingers, move his foot, and even flutter his eyelashes. He felt as if he were lifting heavy weights when he tried to open his eyes. It took Tsukishima several pathetic tries before he could open them enough to make out a fuzzy silhouette of a person in front of him, and even blurrier blobs that looked to be huddled behind the figure that was standing over Tsukishima. He could just faintly see the silhouette’s actions, and noticed that the figure moved in a pattern. They would lean towards him very closely and then move back up to stand over him. 

From the same shadow, he could hear their fast and shortened breaths and their worried sighs. 

What seemed to be an angel was breathing into his mouth repeatedly, and Tsukishima didn’t know why. 

He kept attempting to lift his strained and heavy eyelids so he could see what the angel really looked like. 

As if they cast a spell on Tsukishima, his eyelids flew open when they softly massaged his cheeks and blew on his lips once more. 

The first color he saw when he finally opened his eyes was a vibrant, ruby red.

He focused on the color, and he realized it was from the boy’s swim shorts that had the word ‘lifeguard’ in big and white blocky kanji on the sides.

Even after finding out that it wasn’t a spirit that rescued him, Tsukishima was still convinced that the lifeguard was an angel; the boy definitely looked like one anyways. 

He had glistening almond-shaped eyes, a cute button shaped nose, a light tanned complexion that glowed with the summer sun, and a soft and slim body.  As the cherry on top of his appearance, lots of freckles were sprinkled generously across his face and body. 

The sight of him distracted Tsukishima from paying any attention to his friends. 

He couldn’t respond to the trivial things that were practically yelled at him, like:

‘Do you know who I am?’, ‘What’s your name?’, “Are you dead?!’, and ‘If you’re not gonna finish your pocky, can I have it?’ 

Captivated by the boy’s preciousness, all he could do was mumble the word freckles.

He let out a shy laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. He kneeled down to sand, right next to Tsukishima.

“Hahaha! My name’s Tadashi actually. Um, Tadashi Yamaguchi!” 

“Are you alright?! How do you feel?!” The lifeguard boy quickly added, his eyes wide with worry. Yamaguchi was more terrified for him than Tsukishima was for himself.

Tsukishima took a deep breath and steadily sat himself up.

He felt much more at ease because he was alive, sitting next to the most heavenly boy he ever met. He never thought he’d be glad to feel the scorching feeling of sand on his body again. 

After a long pause, he started to talk with a breathy and tired voice. 

“I’m okay.”

  


The words Tsukishima coughed out were only just a tiny bit of how he really felt. 

He wasn’t fine just because some ordinary lifeguard rescued him from drowning. 

He was feeling alive again, vibrant and wonderful because the angelic Yamaguchi Tadashi had saved his life. 


	2. teasing

Tsukishima couldn’t believe that he was back at the ocean, the one place he swore to never visit again after his traumatizing near-death experience.

He convinced himself that he would only drop by to express his gratitude to the lifeguard who saved him, but a small part of Tsukishima wanted to stay the whole afternoon and chat. And also feel the warm and wonderful sensation of his lips on Tsukishima’s mouth again--

‘What?!’ He shook his head and shivered as soon as the intrusive thought crossed his mind. 

 

“Aw, Tsukki. I get that you crave death and all that depressing stuff, but are you really going to drown yourself?”

A concerned voice that was much too loud made Tsukishima jolt.

“No, I don’t think he’s here to off himself. I think he’s here to see the freckled boy.” Another voice. This voice wasn’t as expressive and emotional as the other’s, but it annoyed Tsukishima less.

He suddenly whipped around to see Bokuto and Akaashi with their arms linked together, carrying bulky reusable bags filled to the top with fresh market fruits. He forgot that it was Tuesday, and that they were on a lovely date at the weekly oceanside farmer’s market.

 

“I told you not to call me Tsukki.” He sighed with an obvious discomfort in his tone.

“Did ya see Freckles yet?!” Bokuto ignored the scolding and kept on chittering with an excited twinkle in his round, owl-like eyes.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Here. Give your crush some of our fruits.” Akaashi coolly suggested while handing him a wicker basket full of strawberries. He knew that Akaashi actually meant well, but he still wanted to slap the contour off his face anyway for even saying the word crush.

“ I think I saw your gay lover cleaning some surfboards.”

The simple, seemingly harmless phrase made Tsukishima’s face redder than any sunburn could.

“He. isn’t. my. gay. lover.” Tsukishima muttered, just before snatching the fruits from Akaashi and storming off to the rental shack. 

 

As he made his way towards Yamaguchi, he felt his stomach fill with butterflies. Now that he could see him from a distance waxing a surfboard, he was nervous from head-to-toe.

He stopped in his tracks and was ready to turn back, but Tsukishima felt a sudden push on his back that practically sprung him from his feet, causing him to topple over the freckled boy and sending him and the surfboard he held to the floor with a loud crash. 

Tsukishima was face down on the scorching sand that stung at his skin. He steadily rose up off of the ground with wobbly arms, and the first thing he saw was Akaashi just a few feet away, looking as unmotivated as usual. He looked to who stood next to him, and saw Bokuto, waving two thumbs up in the air while he beamed eagerly.

If he hadn’t needed to ask Yamaguchi if he were okay, Tsukishima would’ve slapped Bokuto.

His heart dropped when he shifted his gaze to the lifeguard boy and looked at his face. Yamaguchi was rubbing at a patchy and bloody scrape on the tip of his nose, and teardrops started to form on the corners of his eyes. 

Tsukishima tried to stammer an apology, but no words came out.

When an anxious Yamaguchi glanced at Tsukishima, he lowered his head and tried to avoid Yamaguchi’s confused puppy-dog eyes.

With shaky and sweaty hands, Tsukishima dropped the basket with the cartons of delicious strawberries and walked away the moment Yamaguchi sat up and put the basket on his lap, giving the freckled boy no time to even react to what had just happened.  
  
  
He ran as fast and as far as he could away from the disaster he had brought upon the rental shack. He took a deep breath as soon as he let himself slump against the wall of a small, upscale sushi bar a block down the beach.

Tsukishima’s two friends caught up to him, panting as well. He couldn’t bother to look either of them in eye, or virtually anybody after embarrassing himself in front of the lifeguard.

Maybe Bokuto was right, Tsukishima would end up coming here to drown himself. He was already drowning in shame anyway. 

Through his covered face, he could see Bokuto was about to spark up a conversation, but stopped him before any sound came out of Bokuto’s mouth.

“Don’t talk to me. It’s all your fault.”

“Hey, hey hey! It wasn’t too bad, you gave the boy those yummy strawberries!”

“I also gave him a bruise on his nose.”

“Well, why didn’t you apologize?” Bokuto scratched his head, twirling the loose and flowy strands of his wet bangs.

Instead of coming up with a snappy remark, he simply shifted his eyes to the side.

“You could go apologize, the boy seems the type to forgive and forget.” Akaashi suggested. He fastened one of the undone buttons on his sheer, white collared shirt. Tsukishima could make out the outline of Akaashi’s torso through it. 

 

And Tsukishima did just that. He felt tongue-tied; dictionary definitions couldn’t even begin to describe how embarrassed he was to make the dawdle back to the surf shack, but he figured not apologizing for his mistakes was worse. 

Luckily, he spotted Yamaguchi sitting on top of an ice cooler, munching on the fruits. He thought it was cute how a tiny piece of strawberry stuck to the corner of his lips. It made him look precious, and made Tsukishima want to wipe it off and give his cheek a kiss---

‘Stop it!’

He hoped that Akaashi and Bokuto, who trailed behind him supportively, couldn’t tell that he was flustered. The last thing he needed was Bokuto’s endless “friendly” teasing. 

“Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Don’t blus-” He didn’t realize how caught up he was in his head when a shy voice interrupted him. Tsukishima suddenly saw himself in front of Yamaguchi.

 

“Hi, good to see you again!” Yamaguchi repeated. He held up a strawberry stained napkin to his mouth, veiling his face. 

Tsukishima cleared his throat. 

“Did you eat the strawberries yet?” Right when the words escaped, he wanted to faceplant into the sand. Of course the lifeguard was already enjoying the strawberries, he was even wiping off the mushy fruit pieces off his face!

“Mhmm!” He eagerly bit off another piece of strawberry before continuing to talk. “They’re so yummy! Thank you!” Yamaguchi grinned. 

Tsukishima fixated on the sky blue Doraemon band-aid across his nose. Yamaguchi noticed his eyes hover over it and held his hand up to the band-aid self-consciously.

“Ah.. um... D-don’t worry about that. I’m alright.” Yamaguchi let out a sheepish laugh.

“Are you sure?”

Yamaguchi nodded. 

“Okay.”

Quietness. It loomed over the two awkwardly. How do you get rid of this quiet?

Tsukishima stupidly thought that the right way to alleviate the lingering silence was to say goodbye and leave, but he felt terrible seeing the rosy tint and smile on Yamaguchi’s face fade away when he left.

 

Both Bokuto and Akaashi shook their heads when Tsukishima walked past them. 

“No, no, no, no! That won’t do!” Bokuto’s folded his arms. “I acted way less awkward when I asked Akaashi out, and I stepped on his favorite eyeshadow palette!”

“Tell me, god of charisma, what in the world do you want me to do?” Tsukishima narrowed his eyes.

“Give him a compliment! Talk about dinosaurs, or something that geeks like you talk about!”

“I’m not a geek.” Tsukishima adjusted the black brimmed, vintage glasses on his face. 

“If you’re not a geek, then socialize like a normal human being!” 

Tsukishima helplessly shifted his eyes to Akaashi, hoping for him to counter his boyfriend’s proposal.

Akaashi nodding in agreement only felt like a stab to his heart. 

“Is that him?” Akaashi motioned his head towards the freckled boy making his way towards the waste bin.

“Perfect!” Bokuto cheered. 

He gave Tsukishima another shove with all the strength possible in his toned and muscular arms.

The force was enough to make Tsukishima fly. He slammed into the lifeguard once more, almost pushing him into the trash can. 

Yamaguchi shrieked, tipping over and knocking his knees against the bin. 

“Your friends really like teasing you.” Yamaguchi tried to smile through his sniffles. 

“Yeah, they really...” Tsukishima averted his eyes from the lifeguard and glared at Bokuto and Akaashi angrily. There was no way he could spark a conversation here. What were they supposed to chitter about? Trash cans? Bruises? How heavenly he thought Yamaguchi looked with the summer sun shimmering against his body, making his light caramel complexion shine? And how the sun gave him a white aura, almost like he was glowing?

He looked back at Yamaguchi after a while, and Yamaguchi reacted by lowering the red lifeguard visor he wore, covering his bashful expression. 

“Did you get hurt?”

Yamaguchi touched the exactly identical scrapes he received on each freckled knee. “Yeah, but I had worse bruises. I’m fine.”

“Like this one time, I was walking my dogs here at this beach, and they saw this really big seagull! You can only guess what happened next.” His laughs were less anxious.

“They slid me across the sand for miles, until I finally slammed face first into a huge rock.”

“Umm...I still have a tiny scar, right here!” Yamaguchi pointed at a faded black mark that laid just below the corner of his almond-shaped eye. 

Tsukishima felt overwhelmed with the sudden chatting coming from the cute boy, but he adored the silly and enjoyable talk; it was a change from the constant teasing and tongue clicking he shared with his friends. 

“That’s one of the reasons I’m scared of dogs.” Tsukishima wore a half smile as he ran his fingers through his beach blond hair. 

“Aww, really?” 

Tsukishima noticed that Yamaguchi grinned with his eyes, just like Kuroo did. It was just one more little thing to fall in love with about the freckled boy. He also loved how he felt strangely comfortable conversing with him. Tsukishima was comfortable enough to even explain the reasons behind his distaste for dogs, and was about to until he felt water make the lightest of touches on his feet. He watched the tide seep in closer. He had forgotten how close they were to the ocean waves. 

 

He said goodbye once more and made a beeline back to the safety of higher ground. Tsukishima felt a guilty tug on his heartstrings for leaving him lonely again, but if he had stayed near the water, he would’ve started to panic in front of Yamaguchi.

“Tsukki, you were so close to having an actual topic to talk about!” Bokuto whined. He impatiently held his hands on his hips and sighed.    
“We’re doing that one more time!”

“No! No we’re not-” Before Tsukishima could even run, he was thrown once more into Yamaguchi, who was just making the trip back to his lifeguard tower. 

 

He tumbled over Yamaguchi for the third time, but instead of stuttering and blushing like the bashful mess Tsukishima was, he stared at him and raised his eyebrow. He was suspicious over something that Yamaguchi did just before Tsukishima stumbled over.

Yamaguchi looked back at him.

 

Tsukishima glared at him with a confused expression as Yamaguchi bit his lip and nervously fiddled on his cherry red lifeguard jacket.

“Hey.” 

Yamaguchi silently kept his gaze on the floor. 

“You saw me coming, so why didn’t you move? You got hurt again.” Tsukishima clutched his bruised wrist so he could get a closer look. Patches of dirt brown and ash red overshadowed his tan skin color. He shifted his attention from his scratch to Yamaguchi’s anxious expression. It looked like he were about to cry again, and Tsukishima felt unspeakably demonic for being the reason the freckled boy was hurt and in tears. 

“I didn’t mean it in an angry way, I-”

“It’s okay.” Yamaguchi interrupted. He self-consciously pulled his windbreaker sleeve lower to cover up the scraped patch. 

“I didn’t move because I didn’t want  _ you  _ to fall on the sand. I sorta wanted to save you again, I guess.” Yamaguchi chuckled nervously, playing with his wet locks of hair.

 

Tsukishima glanced at his face again. Yamaguchi was flushed, and the freckles on his nose and cheeks only made it more noticeable. 

‘Too cute…’ He thought.

However, the way his eyes scattered up and down rapidly was odd, as if he had something to hide. If he had his angel identity to conceal, then Tsukishima already had that figured out.

 

“Ialsowantedtogetottalktoyouagainbutyouobviouslysawrightthroughme!!”

Tsukishima’s ears perked up.

‘Talk to  _ me?’  _ Tsukishima wondered, puzzled as to why anyone would want to do so. He only had a penchant for talking about dinosaurs, the stupidity of humanity, and japanese pop music. 

“I had a feeling you would.” Tsukishima lied. He put on a mysterious demeanor to veil his actual personality, hoping that Yamaguchi would find him interesting.

“Y-you’re really cool, and I kind of want to get to know you more…” Yamaguchi pushed the tips of his two fingers together. 

Tsukishima tried not to make the dorkiest grin. The most adorable boy he had ever seen thought he was cool! 

“Me too. You seem nice.” 

“What’s your name?” 

“Tsukishima. Kei Tsukishima.” 

“Oh! T-that’s such a pretty name! I..I like it a lot!” Yamaguchi gushed. He anxiously tied his chin-length hair into a messy ponytail that was already coming undone. Bits of sand fell from his strands of hair to his jacket.

“Thanks.” He tried to act as nonchalant as possible and ignore the fact that the boy’s nervous habits were so lovable, he could just pull him into a hug.

Tsukishima helped the Yamaguchi off the ground, and noticed that he was a few inches taller than the lifeguard. He was probably 5’9, or 5’10 at most. The majority of Tsukishima’s friends were that height as well, but Yamaguchi seemed somehow more dainty than them. He imagined holding the freckled boy tight and protecting him from everything bad in the world. 

“I have to go.” Tsukishima casually pulled on the collar of his v-neck tee. 

He didn’t know how long he could keep up acting cool; The boy was just too precious and his mind was running wild. 

“Aww. Okay. Nice to meet you.” Yamaguchi smiled, with a hint of sadness.

  
From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Bokuto and Akaashi walk towards the lifeguard as soon as he stepped out onto the sidewalks. What in the world could they be discussing with him? Just imagining the embarrassing things about him that they could be spilling to Yamaguchi clouded his head with anxiety.

However, he wasn’t able to focus on his worries for long because he couldn’t detach from thinking about the freckled lifeguard. He felt bubbly and euphoric just having Yamaguchi on his mind.

Tsukishima couldn’t believe it himself, but he left the ocean with a better feeling than he did a few days back. He grew fond of the way the blue ocean waves shimmered brilliantly, the delicious seafood restaurants that lied on the outskirts of the area, being protected in the shade that was cast from palm tree leaves while he napped. He especially loved the cute lifeguard that he hoped he would see again soon, even just once more.

Tsukishima thought to himself as he made the walk to the seaside train station.   
‘Maybe the beach isn’t too bad after all.’ 


	3. sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just like the idea of yamaguchi in cropped sweaters and tsukishima being half british because he's blonde and pale dOn't kinkshame my headcanons

The boardwalk fair in the Miyagi Coast had a reputation for its massive popularity with third years and university students. What was usually a boring pier lights up with floating lanterns and fluorescent carnival rides in the summertime, and almost every young adult there gets tipsy off of strawberry sake and picks up a summer fling or two.

Tsukishima’s senpais from high school, Daichi-san and Sugawara-san were no exception. As Tsukishima cluelessly trailed behind his group of friends, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy watching the two captivated in a make-out session behind a flower-selling canopy. During his first year playing for Karasuno High, he’s always considered the two his second mother and father. Seeing them act sensual made him white with shock. However, watching them also made him feel green with envy; he didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he coveted having someone to secretly kiss and feel rebellious with. Miyagi Coast Fair was always the trendiest place to go on romantic dates during the hot season. Any student that was seen alone was looked down upon scornfully. 

 

Tsukishima was a lanky and beautiful English-Japanese blonde who got lots of attention from girls in high school, and he was walking down the promenade with his conventionally handsome friends, so why did he still feel like a black sheep?

When he took a glance at some rich Tokyo girls that caked their face with Shiseido makeup and flaunted their Burberry bags, he decided that he hated the pier more than the ocean.

Vomit-inducing rollercoasters, greasy, deep fried everything, and couples kissing everywhere! He couldn’t wait to get out of the scene as soon as possible. 

 

But suddenly, he saw a familiar freckled face that made him change his mind.

 

As his friends went over to greet the boy, Tsukishima pulled Bokuto aside.

“What’s the lifeguard doing here?!” Tsukishima whispered in an exasperated voice.

“It’s his day off! We invited him to have some fun.” Bokuto chirped.

“Why?! We barely know him!”

“You seemed to really take a likin’ for him, and I know you hate fairs with a passion, but Akaashi and I thought bringing him along would cheer ya up!”

“Are you seriously telling me you guys planned to bring me to the worst place in the world when it was his day off, just so you could set me up with him?” He narrowed his eyes.

Bokuto sighed sadly. “Aw Tsukki, I thought this would make you happy. I didn’t think you’d get so mad.”

“I’m not mad… I’m just…surprised.. And thrown off guard, I guess.” 

“Thrown off..?” Bokuto wiggled his eyebrows. “Didn’t you get enough time to look cute for your crush?” He teasingly tugged at Tsukishima’s mauve button-up shirt.

“HE’S NOT MY-”

“H-Hi guys!” 

 

An eager, but slightly shaky voice interrupted Tsukishima’s interrogation.

Bokuto made an over-exaggerated gasp and wrapped the freckled boy in a spine-breaking hug. He watched the boy’s eyes widen and face redden as Bokuto squeezed his entire body. Bokuto’s desirably muscular and lean build made him able to crush anybody with just his bare hands.

“AWWW, YOU’RE SO CUTE!” Bokuto gushed, holding him tighter.

Tsukishima had to agree. With his lively smile, rosy cheeks, hair done into a windswept ponytail, and a lemonade pink cropped sweater that rose just above his belly button, Yamaguchi did look adorable. 

 

“Let him go already, Bokuto.” Tsukishima’s re-read Of Mice and Men enough times to know what would eventually happen if Bokuto embraced someone in a hug for too long. He was disappointed that he was the only one out of his friends that actually reads English literary classics; he would’ve made a witty joke out loud by now.

 

“Hey lovebirds….and Bokuto.” Kuroo sauntered over, pulling down the collar of his crew-neck shirt. “We’re goin’ on the Riptide first. Hurry up before the line gets longer.”

Bokuto stopped hugging Yamaguchi right when he heard that they were about to ride his favorite Miyagi Coast ride.

“Alllllrighttt!!!” Bokuto’s face lit up. “Let’s go!!!” He motioned for Yamaguchi and Tsukishima to follow his lead, and immediately darted down the boardwalk. 

“L..Lovebirds?” Yamaguchi coughed, trying to regain his breath after being close to asphyxiated. 

“Ignore him, he’s probably high again.” Tsukishima remarked.

 

The Riptide sounded less intimidating than it actually was. It was the biggest and tallest ride there, and from the ground, it looked neverending. Tsukishima’s neck and stomach hurt just looking up at it. 

He wondered how his friends could possibly find enjoyment in roller coasters. Tsukishima didn’t think having to constantly worry about his glasses flying away and about puking on the person next to him was any fun at all.

He clutched his stomach with one hand and covered his mouth with the other as he watched the car his friends were on take off on the course. They zipped and zoomed at speeds almost faster than light.

He looked beside him and saw that Yamaguchi had placed his hands exactly where Tsukishima had his. He was glad to know that he wasn’t the only one who felt sick just looking at fair rides. They met each other’s eyes and gave each other awkward half-smiles.

“I thought you were going to go on the ride with them.” Tsukishima tried to start a conversation with the cute boy next to him.

“Ah…umm….no…” He saw that Yamaguchi’s face had a faint, sickly green colour.

“....Rides like those scare me.. And I get sick on them.”

“Yeah, I feel sick on roller coasters too. They move too fast.” 

Yamaguchi nodded his head slowly, furrowing his eyebrows and puffing his cheeks up. 

“Let’s do something else while they’ll be close to dying on some stupid ride.” 

A wide smile spread across the freckled boy’s face, replacing his nauseous expression.

 

The two boys were barely a few feet away from the ride when a concession stand full of huge, stuffed plushies caught Yamaguchi’s eye.

“Woah….” Yamaguchi swooned. “They’re so fluffy..and cute!” 

He looked at Tsukishima with puppy dog eyes. “Ummm…”

“What is it?” 

“Is it okay if I….” He shifted his gaze down at the floor shyly, pushing his fingertips together. 

“Sure, let’s go.” 

 

Yamaguchi took a deep breath as he started to focus on the target in front of him. He kneeled down slightly, steadying himself. He squished the rubbery ball he clasped in his hands tight. Before aiming at the target, he glanced back at Tsukishima and let out a small, nervous laugh and hoped that he could be given some reassurance from his new friend.

Being terrible at encouragement, all Tsukishima could muster was a pathetic thumbs up. 

Yamaguchi threw with all his might. 

When he just barely skimmed the bull’s eye, Tsukishima could feel the same dejectedness the freckled boy felt in his chest. Tsukishima watched the cute boy fixate longingly on the bunny plushie he wanted before sighing and making the heart-rending walk back to him.

“Well, at least I was close...” He slumped his shoulders and shook off the unsuccessful attempt at winning the stuffed bunny with a smile.

“If you want, I can teach you a trick I know to hit the target. I’ve played these games lots and won every time.” Tsukishima offered.

Yamaguchi’s motivation suddenly sparked. His soft lips curled into an excited grin. The smile made his eyes crinkle at their corners. “Yeah!!”

 

Tsukishima had millions of little butterflies flying around in his stomach just from standing so close to the boy. He hoped he could be able to help Yamaguchi with a platonic gesture without accidentally letting his embarrassingly romantic feelings slip. 

“...Okay..” Tsukishima exhaled. “Position yourself like this…”

He never realized how contagious blushing was. Seeing Yamaguchi’s cheeks turn a deep, cherry red when Tsukishima touched his hands and moved them ever so slightly, he felt his face redden too. 

“Lean in a bit more, and keep your stance down.” 

Tsukishima was glad he stopped himself from reaching out and positioning Yamaguchi’s lower body. He couldn’t fathom how humiliating it would’ve been to try to explain why he was touching the freckled boy’s hips.

Yamaguchi threw the ball once more, feeling even more confident.

The sight of the ball splattering exactly on the bull’s eye gave them both a rush of extreme satisfaction. Tsukishima smirked proudly to himself, while Yamaguchi, being more open and honest about his elation, jumped into the air with a happy cheer.

He twirled with an animated, almost child-like euphoria as he clutched the huge bunny. The plushie’s long, floppy ears and plump body covered Yamaguchi completely when he held it. 

Tsukishima almost smiled and laughed from his adorable enthusiasm. 

“You’re welcome.” A half-smirk spread across his face.

“Thank you!! Thank you so much!!” Yamaguchi bounced up and down with glee.

“This bunny is so so soooo cute!! It’s fluffy and its ears are soft and plushy too!!”

“It’s also my favorite color, and it feels so nice, it’s like a warm hug!” He kept a big smile on his face while he gushed about how much he loved the mint green bunny. 

Tsukishima thought Yamaguchi’s rambling was much cuter than the actual stuffed animal itself. 

 

His mushy adoration came to a stop when Yamaguchi suddenly became distracted by the enchanting sight of a cotton candy stand.

“Look at the huge cotton candy they’re selling!” He pointed at the vendor, who was drizzling long and abundant strands of cotton candy around a paper stick. 

“They’re putting so much on it, the stick looks like its disappearing.” Tsukishima’s stomach felt uneasy again. 

“Let’s go get some!! It looks so yummy!” Yamaguchi tugged on Tsukishima’s arm eagerly. Tsukishima had no choice but to let the freckled boy lead the way.

 

Tsukishima tried not to focus on how disgustingly sugary cotton candy smelled and looked like. He felt miserable as he sat next to Yamaguchi, who was blissfully munching down on a king-sized cotton candy bag.

Besides revolting roller coasters, he couldn’t stand how unhealthy fair food was. As if being whirled around on torture devices they call rides didn’t make him vomit! 

 

“I don’t get how fair rides make you sick, but this stuff doesn’t.” Tsukishima commented.

“It’s delicious, and it’s my favorite carnival treat!” “Whenever I bite into it, I feel like I’m eating a cloud!” Yamaguchi’s vibrant voice was like a field of daisies. 

“Are you sure you don’t want some?”

“No, thank you. I’ll stick with this overpriced bottled water.” Tsukishima gagged.

Yamaguchi laughed, and stuffed himself with more handfuls of cotton candy. 

While Yamaguchi indulged in his sweet treat, Tsukishima started to lose awareness of his surroundings. He completely blocked out the noises of the passerby chittering around him, the rattling noises from the fair rides, and the tempting aroma of ice cream stands. All he could focus on was the boy next to him. 

The bubbly grin Yamaguchi wore while eating and cuddling his bunny gave him an innocent aura, and Tsukishima couldn’t get enough of it.

He looked up at the five o’clock sky that was just starting to turn pink, and then back at the freckled boy. He wished that the warm and fuzzy feeling in his heart and the happiness that surrounded him would keep on lingering. 

 

The beginning of a sunset quickly turned into a pitch black, starry night sky without them realizing it.

Tsukishima’s cheeks went numb and his stomach hurt from sharing one too many silly jokes and laughs with Yamaguchi. 

They returned from perusing the vendor stands with shopping bags filled with assortments of chocolate boxes, honey jars, and of course, fresh strawberries. 

Tsukishima’s legs ached from exploring the entire fairground with Yamaguchi for hours, but he knew that there was one ride that he couldn’t miss.

 

“Do you want to go on this?” He pointed at a large ferris wheel that twinkled with lots of multicolored lights. 

Yamaguchi held his hands in front of him and anxiously stared at the ferris wheel.

“.....Well…” He spoke quietly. 

“...I’ve never been on a ferris wheel...they’re really high. I think I would freak out on it.” 

“I hate every ride here, but the ferris wheel is the only ride I tolerate.”    
“Really?” Yamaguchi looked up at him. His worried expression was more at ease now. 

Tsukishima nodded.

Yamaguchi laughed nervously. “I don’t know. It seems fun, but I’m still kind of scared.”   
“I’ll be there with you.”

With Tsukishima by his side, Yamaguchi felt a little more courageous. He tugged at the strings of his hoodie and shuffled his feet. 

“...Okay, I’ll do it!” He flashed a confident smile.

 

Riding the ferris wheel with your family was much, much different than going on one with a summer crush.

The whole situation brought on uneasiness in the air that clouded around them.    
Being cozied up in a gondola with the freckled boy made Tsukishima feel extremely tense. He shifted in his seat awkwardly, making sure he wasn’t too close or too far away. 

He made sure to pay attention to Yamaguchi the whole time and to check for any signs of anxiety and panic. He watched Yamaguchi fidget with his sweater sleeves, then looked up and noticed how uncomfortable he looked. 

He felt a pang of guilt in his heart for insisting that Yamaguchi go on the ride with him.

 

He forced himself to do one of the things he loathed the most; small talk.

 

“Have you ever been to a fair before?” 

Yamaguchi faced him and nodded. “Yeah, I go here every summer with my mom and my little sisters. My sisters really  _ loooove  _ the kiddie rides and cotton candy.” He added with a giggle. 

“Do they like cotton candy even more than you do?”

Yamaguchi shook his head up and down, smiling a bit wider and laughing a little more meaningfully. “Yeah, they do! You should see how annoying they are when they beg for it. It’s the first thing they ask for when we get there.” 

Tsukishima was about to make another silly comment when he noted how Yamaguchi folded his arms over his stomach and looked a bit pale. 

Yamaguchi met Tsukishima’s concerned eyes and immediately looked down at his white tennies. 

“Don’t worry about me… I’m okay. It’s just that we’re starting to go up higher, and it feels a little scary.” 

“Your face seems pale, are you sure?”

Yamaguchi lowered his head. “I’m sure, my nerves are just acting up.”

“How do you feel?” 

“My tummy feels funny, and my head feels like it’s spinning.” 

Now that Yamaguchi mentioned it, Tsukishima felt a bit dizzy as well. He wasn’t sure if it was the blazing countryside heat at this altitude, or that he was alone with a cute boy and had no idea how to keep conversation without sounding like a geek. 

 

Suddenly, Tsukishima thought of just the thing to calm the freckled boy’s frenzied nerves.

He brought Yamaguchi’s attention to the serene and serendipitous sky behind them. Yamaguchi caught onto his curiosity and looked back behind him. Just taking one glance at the nightfall had his eyes glued on the wonderful sight for the rest of the ride. 

The deep black, purple, and blue hues flowed into a gradient perfectly, and Yamaguchi couldn’t detach from his captivation. He constantly repositioned himself so he can get the best view of the sky. 

Tsukishima watched Yamaguchi swoon at the spectacle with a dorky smile. He adored how much enthusiasm and love the freckled boy had in his heart. When Yamaguchi glanced back at Tsukishima, he quickly made his stupid smile disappear, and replaced it with a cool half-smirk. Yamaguchi beamed brightly before paying attention to the sky again. 

 

When the ferris wheel came to a slowed stop after its third cycle, so did Yamaguchi’s awe. The stars in his eyes dulled as the ride stopped and the operator motioned for them to get out of their gondola.

“That was so…beautiful!” Yamaguchi sighed dreamily. 

Tsukishima nodded in agreement. He held onto the railing that led to the exit, but he realized that he unknowingly placed his hand on Yamaguchi’s. The two looked at each other with a rosy blush rapidly spreading across their faces. Before they knew it, their whole faces were red with embarrassment. Tsukishima flailed his hand back and shifted his eyes up and down indecisively. 

Yamaguchi’s eyes were scattery as well, unsure where to look. For sure, he knew that he couldn’t look at Tsukishima, and Tsukishima felt the same way about him. 

“I-I didn’t mean to touch your hand.”

“It’s okay, it was an accident.”

 

It was just an accident, right? Tsukishima knew this, but he hated thinking about it. He wished that one day, he could hold the freckled boy’s hand without it being an accident. He wanted to be able to love him without saying sorry. 

 

Before he knew it, the Miyagi Coast Fair was coming to a close. Tsukishima, along with drunk and exhausted university student couples and reckless rich kids made the disheartening walk through the fair’s gates.

He was strolling sentimentally, recalling all of the events that had just happened in the past few hours when he felt a shove against his back. Tsukishima looked back behind him and saw a tall, slim boy with a familiar cat-like smirk and a messy, jet black bedhead. Wet kiss marks and a strawberry red blush decorated his face.

‘Fuck.’ Tsukishima thought to himself.

“How was your date? You abandoned us today, y’know.” Kuroo asked coolly, sneakily wrapping one arm around Tsukishima’s waist while they walked. 

Tsukishima scowled at the sloppy streaks of lip gloss on Kuroo’s cheeks. “How was  _ your  _ date?”

“It was greaat….” Kuroo’s words started to slur. “When Kenma’s drunk off of fruity martinis, he’s really frisky, and he becomes an even better kisser….” 

“Greeatt… good to know.” Tsukishima imitated Kuroo’s voice. He sometimes forgot that Kuroo was two years older than him, that Kenma was a year older, and that they all were just the right ages to legally drink. It still took him a while to fully accept that neither of them were in high school anymore. 

 

“What’cha thinking about?” Kuroo purred, drunkenly tugging at Tsukishima’s collar. 

“None of your business.” He pushed Kuroo aside and walked a little faster.

Just before Tsukishima was out of his sight completely, he called out to him.

 

“It’s that freckled boy, isn’t it?”

“Just admit it to yourself already, Tsukishima. You’re in love with him!”


	4. sleepy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't have the heart to make a haikyuu character commit sexual harassment so i made NPCs do it,,,, i can't do my haikyuu boys dirty like this,,,,,,
> 
> also you can tell i kinda ship oiyama in this chapter oops

Block party nights along the shoreline were perfect for forgiving and forgetting. Dowsing your regrets in tropical margaritas and finding a new lover, or reuniting with one for the summer was the type of crazy and sexy pick-me-up Tsukishima Kei needed to take his mind off of things.

 He thought going to one would numb down his thoughts, even if it was just temporary.

But, the entire time he stood by himself, he couldn’t stopped wishing that a certain person would be standing right next to him. He wanted someone else to be a wallflower with, but not just anyone. The person he longed for had cute freckles, a kind and pure heart, and was the lifeguard at the beach in Miyagi Coast.

 “Ya-hoo, pretty boy~~”

Tsukishima heard a flirty, and slightly pervasive voice in his direction. He ignored it, thinking that the call wasn’t meant for him.

**_“Ya-hoo, pretty boyyyyyyy~~”_ **

The voice only grew louder. He looked to the right of him with indifference, but a hint of curiosity and nervousness as well.  
  


He now realized that he was approached by Oikawa Tooru, the birthday boy and the host of the party.  
The whole city knew the “Great King’s” name; Oikawa had an impressive prestige for being the charmingly handsome athlete from Aoba Johsai high school, and now the captain of the volleyball team at one of the most esteemed universities in all of Japan.

Whenever Oikawa’s birthday came around, flocks of people traveled from different towns, cities, and even prefectures to attend the glam and luxurious block parties he threw every year. Being invited to one meant you were popular and important, but Tsukishima felt more worthless than a pinot noir stain on a napkin that fell to the floor.

As Oikawa waved at him and gave him a kittenish wink, Tsukishima also remembered that the king was known for being extremely flirtatious. Any boy or girl fell head over heels for his signature cutesy aegyo. Anybody except for Tsukishima.

He clicked his tongue and looked away.

Oikawa tapped his shoulder.

“What’s wrong, glasses-chan? I noticed that you’ve been standing here the whole time, all alone!” He pouted adorably. His big, chocolate brown eyes looked as if they were sparkling.

“I hate parties.”

Oikawa glared at him. “Then, what _are_ you doing at a party?”

“My friends dragged me here, but I lost them and can’t find them.”

“....Can you be possibly talking about the idiot cat Kuroo, dumbass owl Bokuto, and their boyfriends..?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Ah~!” “I saw them just a little ways down the sidewalk, next to the barbeque. They were all talking with some boy with freckles and kinda long-ish green hair. Oh, the boy was such a cutie pie… I need to get his number later-”

“Yeah. Okay. Got it. Thank you.” Tsukishima interrupted him, and headed towards the BBQ bar.

 

Just as Oikawa said, he saw his friends and the freckled boy crowded around a circular bar. A professional chef handed them large plates that had a tower of savory, mouth-watering pieces of food stacked on them.

He watched sadly as they all munched down on delicious assortments of meat, chicken, fish, and lamb. The tempting smells of all the barbequed dishes teased at his nose, reminding him that the seats were all taken, and that he was going to spend the night alone.

   
Tsukishima was then ushered to another bar table by another chef, and was forced to sit next to strangers that glowered at the sight of him.

When he sat down at one of the stools, he noticed that looks of fear and intimidation replaced their scowls.

‘The only benefit of being 6’3….’ He thought to himself.

He shot them a moody, ‘i-don’t-want-anything-to-do-with-any-of-you’ look before turning back and waiting patiently for his plate.

With nothing better to do, he eavesdropped on their dumb and mindless gossip about designer drugs, Japanese playboy models, and whatever useless topics they could bring at the table.

 

They started a game of truth or dare, and Tsukishima sat up straight to listen in more closely.

“See that freckled boy over there?” A sultry-looking girl pointed at Yamaguchi while she twirled the tawdry pearl necklace that hung around her neck with her fingers.

The two other girls, another boy, and Tsukishima all looked back behind her.

Yamaguchi was finally alone! This was his perfect opportunity to leave all these washed up people behind and walk up to him!

Or so he thought.

An assistant chef stared Tsukishima down as he was just starting to get up off his seat. He continued to narrow his eyes at Tsukishima until he sat himself back down turned around in the stool to face him. Tsukishima muttered a faux heartfelt ‘I’m sorry’ at the assistant chef before slumping back down on the table. He returned back to eavesdropping.

 

“Yeah, what about him?” Another louder girl, with a high-pitched and pungent voice applied a new layer of a coral pink lipstick as she spoke.

“He’s _alone.”_

“Yeah, and?”

“God, you’re so dense!” A girl with dyed auburn hair jokingly slapped the back of Coral Pink’s head.

“Fuck you! Just tell me what my dare is.”

Pearl Necklace wiggled her eyebrows. “I dare you to jump scare him.”

“That’s it?! Seriously?!”

“Mhmmm… the next round, we won’t be so easy on ya.” “Now, go and say hi!”

Auburn Hair clapped her hands together and watched the scene eagerly. The boy sitting next to her cackled and wrapped his arm around Auburn Hair’s waist.

 

Instead of saying a simple hello, Coral Pink made an advance on a defenseless Yamaguchi. She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and entangled him in her embrace, leaving quick and sloppy kisses on his mouth. From this distance, they all saw that Yamaguchi was squirming and desperately trying to escape.  
She pulled away and turned to face her clique, bowing proudly.

Her friends inspirited the harassment, hollering and shouting out words of encouragement.

“She always knows how to make her dares extremely hot and interesting, doesn’t she?” Auburn Hair piped up, leaning in close to her boyfriend.

“You’re a fucking _freak!_ That was so wild!” The boy yelled out to Coral Pink while clapping.

 

Tsukishima felt a huge rush vexation overwhelm him after witnessing the shocking scene. He balled up his fists, and he couldn’t wait to slap the lipstick off her face when she came back.

 

“The next round, go harder on me. You know I can’t make a great show with your boring ass dares!” Coral Pink called out to Pearl Necklace with a devilish smirk.

She was about to take her seat when Tsukishima rose up from his chair and stopped her in her tracks.

 

“What is wrong with you?!” He hissed at Coral Pink, who either was presumably drunk, a disrespectful human being, or both.

“What? Did you want a kiss too, pretty boy?” She had to crane her neck upwards to be able to look up at Tsukishima, who was even more intimidating when he stood up.

“I’d rather die than be sexually harassed by you, actually.”

“ _Sexual harassment?_? We were playing truth or dare!”

“Well, did you even ask if you could kiss him?”

“No, but who cares? It’s not like I _killed_ that boy.”

“Are you really that stupid?! You put your disgusting, disease-filled lips on his mouth without his permission! You forced him into an uncomfortable situation.”

“Fuck off, fag. If you really care that much about some stranger, then why don’t _you_ go kiss him?” She shoved him aside rudely and continued walking towards her table.

 

Tsukishima didn’t feel hungry anymore. He ran away from the BBQ bar as fast as his skinny legs could take him and went to go look for Yamaguchi.

 

After what seemed like miles of cluelessly running across the coast shoreline, he finally bumped into a familiar face.

A short boy with his chin length hair done into two-half buns looked behind him and glanced up at Tsukishima. He turned off his gameboy and safely secured it into the pocket of a black bomber jacket that was three sizes too big for him. The sleeves of the jacket covered his hands completely, giving him sweater paws. Tsukishima recognized that it was Kuroo’s jacket that the boy was wearing. The shy boy gazed at him inquisitively with his beady cat-like eyes, waiting for Tsukishima to talk.

“Kenma, have you seen Yamaguchi?”

“Ah, Freckles.” Kenma nodded. “Bokuto invited him here. I remember him coming up to me and asking if he could play a round of one of my games. I watched him play for a while.”

Kenma coughed, and then continued to talk. He shivered from the cool breeze that suddenly came upon the beach.

“We talked about video games for a good amount of time. He’s really skilled at them, but for some reason, he only likes to play the easy stuff like Cooking Mama and the Tamagotchi games.”

“After that, we all ate together at the BBQ bar tables. I had to go to the bathroom, and that’s all.”

“I heard what happened to him, though.” Kenma added.

Tsukishima’s face turned sheet white. He felt even more nauseous.

“......What did you hear?”

“Kuroo told me that Yamaguchi said that he didn’t feel good and that he really needed to leave. Kuroo asked him what was wrong, but Yamaguchi wouldn’t talk about it. He just bolted.”

“He’s not here anymore?”

Kenma shook his head. He pulled out a Chococat lollipop from another one of the jacket’s pockets and licked it.

Tsukishima sighed. “Okay, thank you for telling me.”

Kenma nodded and slowly sauntered away, off to play on his Gameboy and chew on his yummy treat in solitude.

 

Tsukishima only grew even more nervous and panicked for Yamaguchi when all the calls he made to him kept getting sent to voicemail. None of the texts he’s sent were even opened. He kept his eyes desperately glued to his phone’s screen, hoping he’d see some notification from the freckled boy.

He was glad they exchanged phone numbers when they went to the fair together, but what was the point if Yamaguchi would just leave him hanging?

He pulled up the lockscreen and sadly watch the time change from 9:59 to 10:00.

Ten o’clock was Yamaguchi’s usual bedtime, since he loved sleeping. He was probably already home and snoozing away comfortably in his bed.

Tsukishima decided to stop for the night and try to reach him again later. He decided to send him one last text. A goodnight text, wishing the boy sweet dreams.

After one of the worst nights of his life, Tsukishima felt like he needed a nap to sleep off his exhaustion and frustration too. He just about skimmed the handle of his 4-door Honda convertible when he met Oikawa’s eyes once again.

“You’re leaving so soon~?”

“I am, actually.” He opened his car door.

“Why?”

“Because someone I care about got harassed here, and I need to know if they’re okay.”

“What?! What happened?!” Oikawa’s eyes widened.

 

After Tsukishima described the situation to Oikawa, he looked almost as sick as Tsukishima did.

“..... I’m so sorry your crush got harassed like that. I’ll make sure those people will be blacklisted! They won’t come to any of my parties again.”

“Crush..?” He raised his eyebrow, curious as to how Oikawa possibly deducted that.

Oikawa nodded, flashing a cheeky smirk. “I’ve seen how passionately you look at him. You have hearts in your eyes, and you look completely awestruck.”

“...and Kuroo Tetsurou told me a thing or two.” He added, running his fingers through his windswept and effortlessly beautiful light brown beach waves.

Tsukishima was at a loss for words. All he could do was silently slip into the driver’s seat of his car and close the door.

Oikawa leaned into one of the windows.

“Is it true? Do you really have a crush on Freckles?”

Tsukishima started the car. His face felt hotter than its engine.

Oikawa tapped on the window, peering into it. “Do you want some advice for asking him out?”

Tsukishima drove away before he could hear more nosy talk come out of the king’s mouth.

 

Oikawa shrugged, smiling with self-satisfaction from embarrassing Tsukishima.

“He’s so in love with that boy.”


	5. cigarette smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hyped up my boy kuroo in this chapter...
> 
> kurotsukki fans this chapter is for you haha

Tsukishima always took long walks across the harbor whenever he felt stressed and needed to make a decision. These nights, he was too mentally exhausted to even move.

He slumped his shoulders and head down onto the railing wistfully. The sight of dozens of boats floating on the ocean’s serene waves from up where he was usually mesmerized him, or at least piqued his interest a little, but he had nothing to describe it with but boring.

His mind was so scattered, he had no idea what to think about.

He heard the crunching of wet grass behind him. Whoever was behind him took slow steps towards Tsukishima. The way they stomped on the ground while they walked meant that they were probably wearing heavy shoes, most likely boots. 

A fisherman?

Whoever it was, he’d hoped that they wouldn’t initiate any conversation with him. 

 

“Tsukki!”

He heard a familiar fruity and husky voice ring in his ears. Tsukishima sat up and forlornly looked behind him. He was surprisingly glad that the sound of footsteps came from Kuroo’s black Doc Martens. The cat-like boy was dressed in the color black from head-to-toe, making him a like a shadow. He blended in with the rest of the nightly dark landscape. 

Kuroo kneeled down next to him, gazing at Tsukishima with a piercing look. Tsukishima knew that Kuroo was trying to sense why he was curled up in a ball, all alone in a grassy field like a hermit. 

He suddenly felt the sensation of something placed on his shoulders. He saw that Kuroo was carefully wrapping a leather jacket around his upper torso. Tsukishima gave Kuroo a confused expression, and Kuroo smirked in return.

“I knew you wouldn’t care to at least bring a jacket in this windy weather. When you’re at your lowest point like this, you’re completely reckless.”

He swept Tsukishima’s long, blonde bangs away from his face. Kuroo caressed Tsukishima’s jaw with his slender fingers. He studied his face intently, looking for any implicit indications for how Tsukishima was feeling. 

 

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes, and hung his head down lower in embarrassment.

“Don’t be shy.” Kuroo whispered. He lifted his head up with the touch of his finger on Tsukishima’s chin. With a tender hand, he held onto Tsukishima’s cheek. His slanted, hooded eyes only looked more suspicious. 

“Dark circles hanging around your eyes...flushed cheeks... can’t even look anyone in the face…”

A small grin curled up at the corners of his lips.

“You’re in  _ love.”  _ Kuroo’s mischievous smirk spread wider across his face. 

“Shut up. I am not.” Tsukishima pushed Kuroo’s hand off of his cheek.

“Tsukki catching  _ feelings?  _ Unbelievable!”  Kuroo teased, wrapping his arms around Tsukishima’s broad shoulders.

“You’re not made of ice. Your heart can’t stay cold forever.”

“Your heart is supposed to beat really fast. You’re supposed to feel warm inside. You’re supposed to feel  _ alive.  _ That’s how you know you have love in your heart.”

“That’s not it, I’m just stressed.” Tsukishima sighed, wrapping Kuroo’s jacket around him tighter. 

“You’ve been lovestruck and ditzy ever since that freckled boy saved your life. You can’t tell me it’s just because you feel  _ stressed.” _

_ “ _ I do feel stressed!” Tsukishima snapped.

Kuroo took a deep breath, and dug out a tiny box of Pall Malls from the pocket of his Adidas joggers. He lit one up and twirled it between his glossy, cherry red bow-shaped lips. The ashy scent of the cigarette smoke tickled Tsukishima’s nose, but also gave him a sense of comfort. He felt warmer.

“Tell me darling, why do you feel stressed? Kuroo took a long drag of his cigarette. 

“I.. I don’t know.”

“Here’s a shocking idea: You feel stressed because you’re in love.” Kuroo chuckled.

Tsukishima fluttered his eyelashes slowly and stared down at the ground.

“I’m not the type of person to fall in love so easily. I don’t believe in love in first sight.” 

 

Kuroo shook his head with a laugh. “You remind me of myself, y’know.” 

“I thought I was too good for anybody. I thought that nobody’s love could’ve satisfied me. I thought that I was tough as nails, and that I was above having crushes and falling for boys.”

“I was dead wrong.” Kuroo let a trail of cloud grey smoke escape his lips.

“I laid my eyes on Kozume Kenma. Next thing I know, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. The cutest and smartest boy to ever grace the volleyball team had my head spinning like crazy.”

“It took me time to process that I was actually in love. I kept trying to come up with some kind of scientific explanation, or some excuse that I could’ve wrapped my head around. Under no circumstance would I convince my stubborn self that I was capable of falling fast and hard.” 

“I realized that I couldn’t keep my feelings hidden. The love I had was so strong, I felt like I was going to explode. I knew that one day, my heart would think faster than my head, and that it’d escape and chase down my crush for me.”

“My problem was that I didn’t embrace my feelings. I didn’t see them as love, I just saw them as a temporary kind of admiration. I just thought that they’d burn out like a candle eventually.” 

“I thought It wasn’t realistic to form some kind of relationship with my innocent, puppy lovin’ feelings when I barely knew the boy. I felt like it wouldn’t last longer than a fling.”

“So, what did you do?” Tsukishima asked in a soft voice.

“I figured that falling fast and hard was better than not falling in love at all. If I got my heart broken, at least I’d know that I actually had a heart.”

“I had to wake up and come to my senses that life’s too short to not fall in love. Love isn’t something you can define with a dictionary, everyone feels it a little differently. There is no wrong way to fall in love.”

“I think I get it…” Tsukishima bit his lip.

“I’m saying that love is unexpected. Love comes to you in the most unconventional of ways, and that when you do feel it, you shouldn’t question those warm, fuzzy sensations. It’s okay to let yourself have feelings, no matter how silly they are, or how unlike you they might feel.”

 

Tsukishima let his body slump down onto the dewy grass. He lied down and sighed sadly. 

“I don’t know, I still feel like my kind of love is wrong. Yamaguchi was just doing his job when he saved my life. I fell for something that wasn’t even meant to be romantic.”

 

“Are you kidding?” Kuroo laughed, lying down with Tsukishima. “You both have a strong connection.”

“I saw that spark between you guys light up the first time you both looked at each other.” 

“When you’re together, anyone around you can sense that strong feeling of love.”

“Your smiles, laughs, and even the blushes on your faces are genuine.”

“Don’t you feel it too, Tsukki? Are you that oblivious?” 

 

“Of course I feel it. I just don’t know if I love him, or if I love having someone that’s not irritable to spend time with.”

“Well, tell me what you like about this boy.” 

Tsukishima’s face turned a deep red just having to illustrate his embarrassing feelings. 

“...Fine.” He pulled up the leather jacket so that it’d cover most of his bashful expression.  
  


“He’s everything I’m not.”  
“He’s adorable, caring, and has a genuinely kind heart. You can see it in those big and expressive eyes; they’re constantly sparkling like stars. He always has a smile on that cute babyface of his, just seeing it makes you want to smile too. The smooth, honeyed way he speaks, the politeness of every syllable, the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs his sweet laughs...everything about him just radiates innocence and purity. I feel like I’m in a field with daisies whenever I’m with him. He’s a breath of fresh air, and when he’s next to me, I actually feel like I can breathe.”

“All he needs to do is flash a cute smile, and it immediately melts my heart. I feel his warmth, his heartbeat, and even his own feelings. It’s like he has me under a spell.”

  
Kuroo sighed dreamily. “Being gay is great, isn’t it?” “Aren’t boys just the cutest?”

“Yeah…....wait, what?!”

Kuroo let out a laugh. “You just admitted it to yourself Tsukki!”

“I…That doesn’t mean anything! That was just a general statement.”

“But, you’re not talking about just any boy. You’re talking about a freckled lifeguard in particular.”

“Kuroo...” Tsukishima whined.

“Now, why don’t you answer your own question. Do you love him?”

  
“I...I..”

Tsukishima watched a shooting star gracefully fall across the mid-July night sky. 

He decided to surrender to his lovestruck thoughts. Just this once, he’d let his heart win control over the entirety of himself.  
  


“...I’m in love with Yamaguchi.”


	6. crush

Despaired. Scatterbrained. Frenzied. Ditzy.

Tsukishima could use all those words and any of their synonyms to describe how it felt like to be in love with a boy that hasn’t replied to his texts and calls in over a week.

After his momentary sighting at the block party, he hadn’t seen him since. 

Ever since he admitted it to himself that he was in love with Yamaguchi, he wanted to make sure that the only crush he’s had in 18 years wouldn’t slip away.

Tsukishima made the lengthy 30 minute train trip to Miyagi Beach every single morning for a whole week just so he could look for him.

On top of that, he visited the places where he knew Yamaguchi sometimes stopped by.

Unfortunately, the open-air community garden across the beach, the small bookstore on the promenade, and the two-story pet shop in the shopping strip had shown no signs of Yamaguchi either. 

 

Another unsuccessful trip from the beachside gardens for the eighth time was when he finally decided to give up looking for Yamaguchi.

He decided to stop seeing him as his crush. Yamaguchi just became a pretty face he just happened to encounter. It’s unlikely to fall in love with the hot stranger that casually passes by anyway, and he was convinced that this case wasn’t any different.   
  
The rational side of Tsukishima tried to believe that Yamaguchi was safe and just didn’t have any phone service or was simply busy, but his silly and baseless feelings were able to convince him that the lifeguard absolutely despised Tsukishima for no reason at all.

As he rode the train, he wondered what he could’ve done to put Yamaguchi off. He hoped he hadn’t acted too cold towards the freckled boy.

Tsukishima had a naturally introverted and aloof demeanor that most people found uninviting and was easily mistaken for hatred or malice.   
It couldn’t be helped, the boy was just socially awkward; especially around cute lifeguards with freckles.  

He made the pathetic tread from the train stop back to his modern, Taisho-era house in what was supposed to be the safest gated community in the neighborhood.   
  
  
In the dire moments like these, where Tsukishima lies on his futon pathetically, curls up with a blanket and cuddles his childhood dinosaur plushie with the door locked and fan on at full blast, he wished that he could cry.

He felt nothing while he lied motionless on the ground. His heartstrings were snipped in half, an empty hole replacing his heart. Expressing an emotion, or even thinking about his feelings worn him down like a wilting flower. 

Drained dry of his energy, he fell into a depression nap. 

 

The hot hues of fiery reds and saturated oranges from the sunset that greeted Tsukishima at the window when he woke up couldn’t have been brighter. 

Tsukishima approached the sight only to scowl at it and swipe the blinds closed. Everything looked dull and monochrome in his eyes that afternoon. 

Instead of falling back asleep, he decided to take a stroll down to the harbor once more. 

He hoped that Kuroo would be there again to give him some advice about crushes and his fucked up feelings. 

  
Tsukishima noticed that he was the only one walking outside when he stepped out from the gates and away from cul-de-sac. 

His mind was still undeniably blank, just like the barren streets. He felt nothing as he stepped on pebbles and cherry tree branches that fell to the floor. He heard indie music come from the stereo of a convertible driving along the streets, but he didn’t listen to it. He paid no attention to the brilliant sky and the glimmering ocean that followed the path he was on.

He let his own sense of direction mindlessly lead him to his destination.

 

Without realizing it, he missed the harbor by three blocks and was walking on a path that lead to a small shopping plaza that he hadn’t seen before. 

  
Out of all of the new and unfamiliar things in his sight, he saw only one thing he recognized: a green strand of hair sticking up on someone’s head while they walked.

Tsukishima took off with a sprint to get a closer look at it.

He ran as fast as he could to cross the street and make it up the stairwell before the person escaped his sight. 

He was right on time. Just as he put his sneaker on the very last step leading to the second floor, the person was about to make their way down. 

Tsukishima couldn’t believe who was right in front of him. He felt all his worry and desperation wash away. 

At least he was safe. 

  
Tsukishima opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly interrupted.

“....What are you doing here?” The soft and shaky voice asked. 

“I was going to ask you the same thing, Yamaguchi.” He raised his eyebrow suspiciously. 

“Well… this is the only good place in town where you can buy authentic and delicious baguettes. My family and I have been shopping here for years.” He nervously swung a plastic bag filled to the brim with fresh bread. 

Tsukishima realized that the steps lead to a large French bakery that took up the entire second floor of the plaza. 

He eyed the elegant patisserie. “Oh.”

“...Yeah.” Yamaguchi let out an awkward laugh.

“....I need to go. Sorry!” He quickly added, starting to make a run for it down the steps. 

Yamaguchi’s sly plan to speed through the stairway before Tsukishima could catch him fell apart. Literally.

He couldn’t even make it down the third step before tripping and falling. He tumbled down four more steps before finally coming to a stop. 

Tsukishima immediately raced down the stairs to Yamaguchi so he could help. He picked up the baguettes and croissants that fell from the bag and slid them back in. Then, he stood over Yamaguchi and held out a tender and inviting hand for the freckled boy to take.

 

However, instead of grabbing Tsukishima’s hand, an ocean full of teardrops he was collecting and concealing broke free. Lots of hot tears fell from his eyes and trailed down his cheeks. 

Tsukishima’s eyes widened, helpless and unsure on what to do. He awkwardly kneeled down and shuffled closer to him. How are you supposed to solace your crush when they’re crying? Do you pat their back? Tell them it’s okay? Kiss them, perhaps? 

He tried to hearten Yamaguchi with kind words, but was stopped once again.

“...You’re still here?”

“Yeah.”

“...Alright, you can laugh at me for a little, but can you please go when you’re done?”

“And why should I be laughing at you?”

“Because I’m embarrassing!” The freckled boy cried harder.

“I don’t think you’re embarrassing.”

“How can you not think that?!” Yamaguchi’s quiet voice grew angrier.

“I got harassed at a party in front of lots of people and I ran away because I was too scared to do anything about it! I fell down the stairs trying to run away because I’m too scared to face you!” 

“You’re just beating yourself up now. None of that’s your fault.”

“I’m sorry…. I’m not as cool as you think. You probably see me as the awesome superhero that saved your life, but I’m nothing like that.”

“I’m weak.” He choked back more tears. His words became gravelly and unstable.

Tsukishima felt like his heart was being ripped in two after discovering the reason behind the boy’s lack of communication. His mind was whirling with worry, wondering about how terrible Yamaguchi must’ve felt this whole week after being publicly harassed.

“You know the real me now, and I know you don’t like me when I don’t have my lifeguard jacket on. You probably don’t want to be my friend anymore either…” The freckled boy sniffled, close to bursting into tears again. 

Tsukishima rubbed the temples of his forehead. “Just stop it already!” He snapped. 

Yamaguchi looked up at Tsukishima with surprised puppy dog eyes while more tears streamed freely down his face.

“Stop putting words in my mouth! Probably this, I know that. You don’t know anything!”

“You don’t know how much sleep I lost over you! Day and night for a week, I searched all over town hoping that I’d be able to find you.”

“Your eyes. Your smile. Your laugh. The thought of you is a catchy song that repeats over and over. It’s like my mind’s a broken record!”

“After all this, you think I would let go of what we have that easily?” 

Yamaguchi held his hands over his heart, hoping Tsukishima wouldn’t hear how fast and loud it was beating. The freckled boy was at a loss for words.

“N-nobody’s ever cared about me that much to do any of that f-for me…” He felt tickled pink knowing that for the first time in his life, he had a friend that was willing to stand by him. 

“Better get used to it then.” Tsukishima sighed, fondling his fingers through his messy, blonde bedhead. 

“S-so, you don’t see me any differently? After.. y-you know…”

“No. You’re still the same boy I have a crush on.”

 

Tsukishima once read in one of his favorite dinosaur encyclopedias that there were certain types of dinos that could camouflage and blend in with their surroundings in order to hide themselves. Some were so skilled at it, it almost seemed like they vanished in thin air.

Tsukishima tried to think of a way he could camouflage himself, or even better, disappear in an instant after what he had let slip out of his lips. Where were dinosaurs when you needed them the most?

He didn’t have the courage to look at Yamaguchi, whose flushed face was enveloped with a deep and highly noticeable blush. To top it all off, Yamaguchi had a shocked expression that was practically frozen on his face.

 

“Y-you... h-have..a…”

“Yeah, I do.” Tsukishima stopped him before he could repeat the most regrettable words he’s ever said out loud.

Yamaguchi fiddled with the bunny shaped buttons on his dungarees. “B-but… why..?”

“I have anxiety, you know. I’m bad with words, and I’m even worse with sentences…” 

“You don’t deserve to deal with all those burdens. You could do better than this.”

“Just because you have anxiety doesn’t mean you don’t deserve love.”

“B-but…” Yamaguchi’s voice quivered.

“I’m going to stop you right here.”

“I don’t want you to sugarcoat your honest feelings with excuses. If my love is unrequited… if you don’t feel the same way….Just say that, okay?” Tsukishima’s lips curled into a sad half-smile.

Tsukishima glared at Yamaguchi, waiting for an answer. After a few silent seconds passed without any sound coming from the freckled boy’s mouth, Tsukishima stood up and was ready to head home. He was ready to give up on weeks of his compiled feelings for the boy and go back to the simpler days in his life, when he never put his heart out there for anyone. 

 

It was Yamaguchi’s turn to feel frustrated.

He rose up and chased after Tsukishima. Yamaguchi grasped his arm with a tight grip and pulled him back.

With the sudden amount of force pushed on him, Tsukishima was positive he could’ve toppled over. 

He turned around to face the freckled boy.

Tsukishima couldn’t help but think Yamaguchi’s grumpy pout was cute; it reminded him of a bunny, puffed up chubby cheeks and all. 

 

Another awkward silence lingered dreadfully between the two. Yamaguchi stood silently, still holding on Tsukishima’s baby blue cable-knit sweater sleeve. 

Yamaguchi’s gaze scattered indecisively, unable to find anywhere except Tsukishima’s bashful face to focus on. 

He finally settled on shutting his eyes tight and blurting out a jumbly mess of words that only made Tsukishima’s face even redder. 

 

“A-are you joking...you’re kidding? Y-you’re so c-cool..yeah! Handsome...g-gorgeous... “I-I….I…...I  mean….ummmm…”

“I REALLY LIKE YOU TOO!” Yamaguchi opened his eyes, letting out a breathy gasp of air. 

 

What happened next could’ve been influenced by instinct. A heat of the moment sensation, the type of passion brought upon by the hazy summer weather, or an adrenaline rush which people call love.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi paid no attention to a reason behind them suddenly leaning in close to each other and planting a light kiss on each other’s lips.

When they both quickly pulled away and stared at each other with the dorkiest looks and biggest blushes on their faces, they knew that the brisk kiss they shared wouldn’t be the last of the warm season.

With this, there would be many more kisses to come, now that they finally were bound together by the silk ribbons of fate and love.


	7. tipsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> baby pictures of tsukishima. yams and tsukki both get tipsy and make out. yamaguchi tops. 
> 
> that's it..... that's the whole chapter lmao
> 
> i'm sorry this was just an excuse for me to write something spicy and kinda smutty, but fluffy and cute as well

Tsukishima was comfortably lying on his messy bedsheets and typing out a late reply to his boyfriend’s lovely good morning text when he heard the ringing of a doorbell.

_ “Kei!” _

Tsukishima ignored the call coming from the garden and burrowed himself in his sheets.

**_“Kei!”_ **

**_“KEI! ANSWER THE DOOR!”_ ** His brother was shouting demands in English, a language Tsukishima and his family were fluent in. 

With the annoying repetition of the doorbell and his brother’s demands sounding off simultaneously, all Tsukishima wanted now was to put the entire world on silent.    
He covered his ears, hoping that whoever was there would leave as quickly as possible. 

After a short period of quiet, he could hear Akiteru make an over-exaggerated sigh and walk over to the door himself. The corners of Tsukishima’s lips curled into a dimpled, satisfied half-smile. He had won the doorbell-fetching war against his brother, and his perquisite was getting more time to sleep in on an August afternoon.

At least, he had hoped.

Tsukishima’s plans for the summer had gone awry since the first day, and he was silly for thinking that unexpected surprises would finally stop popping up now.   
  
  
“Kei, is this your  _ boyfriend _ ~?” Akiteru singsonged.

The slight mention of the word ‘boyfriend’ was a wake-up call for Tsukishima.    
He outstretched his arm, scrambling through the already messy bedspread to find his glasses. Once his fingers grazed the tips of its frames, Tsukishima put his glasses on. He immediately rose up and dashed out of his bedroom. 

When Tsukishima arrived at the glazed sliding door, he squinted his eyes at an anomalous sight. The person in front of him had large bouquets of flowers for a face. Or rather, they were a bouquet with a long-sleeved shirt and black ripped jeans that miraculously came to life!

 

He curiously swept at the bouquet’s assortments of tulips, lilies, and roses to try and reveal the mystery person’s, or thing’s true identity. 

After pushing enough flowers out of the way, the veil of blossoms revealed a familiarly inspiriting sight: his boyfriend’s bashful expression.

He lowered the bunches of bouquets he held in his arms and gave Tsukishima a sheepish smile. 

“S-surprise! I..I brought you something.” His boyfriend added with a nervous laugh. 

“Wow!” Akiteru swooned. “Those flowers are almost as big as you are! Do you need some help with that?” 

“T-thank you.” The boy kept his eyes on the doormat.

“Where did you even find all of these flowers, Yamaguchi? I’ve never even seen some of these kinds before.” Tsukishima helped his brother carry the bouquets out back to the patio door.

Yamaguchi beamed proudly, and hurried alongside Tsukishima. “My family runs a flower nursery at home and we grow hundreds of flowers!” He chirped.

“You should visit sometime, Tsukki~!” He added.

“I’ll make sure to.” Tsukishima covered his blush by holding the bouquets up to his face. 

 

A month had passed since they both started dating, but Tsukishima still wasn’t used to being showered with affection and love.

Sharing a momentary kiss during Yamaguchi’s daily stops at Tsukishima’s door made him flustered. 

Receiving cute good morning and goodnight texts every day made him flustered. 

Being smothered in compliments whenever he did the littlest of things made him flustered.

Hearing the sweetness in the freckled boy’s voice whenever he called him Tsukki, a nickname he only allowed Yamaguchi to say, made him flustered. 

Bouquets of flowers? Tsukishima felt like he’d be red faced eternally.

 

_ “Hey, Kei.”  _ Akiteru called out. 

_ “What?” _

_ “Why don’t you pick out some fresh fruit from our gardens for our guest to have?” _

_ “Yeah, okay.”  _ He half-heartedly said, too focused on arranging the flowers in the hanging planters.

Tsukishima looked back and met Yamaguchi’s confused stare. The freckled boy smiled  as soon as they noticed each other.

“Were you guys speaking English?” Yamaguchi tilted his head, just like a puppy would. 

“Yeah.”

“That’s so cool!!” Yamaguchi’s sudden burst of enthusiasm startled Tsukishima, nearly causing him to knock over a planter full of dahlias and buttercups.

“It’s not  _ that  _ cool.” Tsukishima spoke in a quiet voice. He felt the tips of his ears and face heat up.

“Of course it is! English is a really hard language! Well… for me at least…”

“...I’m always close to failing my English courses every year. It’s the only subject I’m not good at.” He said, with a hint of shame hidden in his laugh.

“The only reason I’m good at it is because I’m half British.” 

Yamaguchi’s eyes glistened brighter than Miyagi’s sparkling oceans.

“Really?!” “Tsukki, you’re so cool!!” Yamaguchi gushed. 

 

Tsukishima was saved from Yamaguchi’s admiration when Akiteru called Yamaguchi over. Before leaving to the other room, Akiteru looked at Tsukishima and motioned his head outside, towards the gardens. Tsukishima nodded his head and stopped fiddling with the floral display in front of him. 

He stepped outside to the patio that led to miles and miles of fresh plants with fruits and veggies of colors of the rainbow. Strawberries, tangerines, squash, starfruit, and even the elusive dragon-fruit as far as the eye could see. 

Tsukishima cautiously bent down in front of a tomato plant and gently harvested them in a wicker basket. He put his complete focus only on picking delicious produce to give to his boyfriend. He paid no attention to what Akiteru and Yamaguchi could’ve possibly been talking about on the front porch.   
  
The basketful of delicious organic fruits and vegetables he intended to give to Yamaguchi suddenly fell out of his hands and to the floor when Tsukishima went to the house’s lounge and took a glance at the book the two were reading out of.

  
He stood frozen in his tracks, and remained motionless even when Akiteru was complaining about the produce he dropped.

“Kei, you have to be more careful!” Akiteru sighed with a grin as he ruffled up Tsukishima’s blonde curls. Akiteru bent down and picked up the mess for him, and then made his way to the sink to wash the dirtied fruits and veggies.   
  
  
Yamaguchi watched Akiteru walk inside, and then gave Tsukishima a heartwarming smile.  Tsukishima returned the nice gesture with a worried look.

“Tell me you didn’t see anything in that book.”

“Awww, Tsukki…” “You were super cute as a baby!” Yamaguchi cupped his cheeks with his hands.

Tsukishima sighed, rubbing the temples of his forehead. He wished the mini fireplace out on the porch was turned on; he desperately needed to burn that embarrassing photo album of his. 

Yamaguchi picked up the bulky album filled with Tsukishima’s baby pictures. He went over to Tsukishima and pointed every single photo out to him, raving about what he loved most about each one. 

If knowing that Yamaguchi had seen all his infant pictures wasn’t nightmarish enough, having Yamaguchi flip through the entire book and  _ showing  _ him just made it worse. 

“Ohh, this one is adorable. It’s my favorite one~!” Yamaguchi cooed, tapping the painted black nail of his index finger on a photo of a grumpy little Tsukishima wearing a dinosaur onesie. He was so chubby as a baby that he couldn’t fit into the onesie perfectly. Nearly half of the buttons couldn’t be clasped, and his tummy peeked out of it.

“None of these are  _ my _ favorites. They’re all terrible.” Tsukishima snatched the book from Yamaguchi’s hands and walked inside. 

“Awww…” Yamaguchi pouted and quickly trailed behind him.

Tsukishima tried not to look back at his pouty boyfriend. The freckled boy’s cute pouts were one of his biggest weaknesses, besides his smiles and kisses.   
  
  
Tsukishima remembered another weakness of his while the two met up with Akiteru and ate fruit together in the lounge: Yamaguchi shirtless.

The freckled boy bit into a juicy strawberry that splattered all over his white button-up, so Akiteru instructed him to slip off his long-sleeved shirt and offered to wash it for him.    
Later, Akiteru returned with Yamaguchi. He shyly held his hands in front of him and avoided looking at Tsukishima.

He couldn’t help but eye Yamaguchi’s soft and slender figure. His freckles were kisses that were sprinkled on his shoulders and the slight curves of his hips, and his light tanned complexion still glowed like it did when they first met. 

He snapped out of it when he saw Akiteru raising an eyebrow at him. Tsukishima looked at his brother and tried to hide the shame in his flushed face.

“Kei, why don’t you let him borrow one of your shirts?” Akiteru kept his smug expression focused on Tsukishima.

“S-sure.” Tsukishima stuttered.   
  
  
Out of all of the things Tsukishima could imagine that would happen during his summer vacation, he never would’ve come up with the thought of having a cute boyfriend that was half-naked in his room.

Yamaguchi picked out a loose and ratty tee shirt with lots of tiny holes that had a strawberry graphic on it from his closet. 

The shirt was already loose on Tsukishima, but it fit just above Yamaguchi’s knees. He couldn’t help but think how adorable and doll-like his boyfriend looked in oversized tees, even in the most rugged ones.

Yamaguchi tugged at the shirt’s collar, which was almost stretched out to his shoulders. “Is this alright?”

“You look good.” Tsukishima had more embarrassing things to compliment him with, but he bit his tongue.

“It’s so cozy, and it’s my favorite color!” He proudly pulled at the corners of his light green shirt. 

Yamaguchi looked up at him and radiated a blissful smile.   
“I think I just fell in love.”  
  
  
Tsukishima fell in love as well. Especially with the way Yamaguchi looked in loose tee shirts.

He found many more little things to love about Yamaguchi when they headed back to the patio to make Strawberry Daiquiris. 

The freckled boy wrapped his arms around the comfort of Tsukishima’s hips as they both blended the ingredients for their alcoholic smoothies.

With Akiteru gone to his nightly studying sessions at the university, the boys were alone to act as cheeky as they wished with each other under the cool shade of the patio awning.

  
Tsukishima always loved the delicious taste of his favorite red fruit, but they somehow tasted sweeter with his boyfriend around. He sneakily nibbled on a strawberry he pulled out from the fruit ingredients in the wicker basket and found it to be extra delicious.

Yamaguchi caught Tsukishima in the act and approached him slowly from behind. At first, he stood still without even taking a single breath. 

Suddenly, he set his hands on his waist and tickled him. 

Tsukishima burst out into a giggling fit, and dropped the strawberry he longed to finish munching on.

“H-hey! S-stop! Hahahaha!” 

“Sorry, I can’t let a strawberry thief escape so easily.” 

Tsukishima tried to catch his breath between laughs. “W-what--Hahahahaha! What do you want me to…”

“I’ll let you go if you kiss me, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi showed off the most innocently flirty expression he could make. Beady eyes and pouty lips, Tsukishima fell head over heels for his babydoll looks.

Tsukishima held onto his loose collar to pull him in close and seal a kiss on his mouth. Tsukishima loved how he could taste the cherry lip balm that Yamaguchi wore.

Just before pulling away, he whispered a few words to his boyfriend.

“I’ll get you back.”

For the first time in his life, Tsukishima understood what people meant when they said that time flies when they’re having fun. Both boys were done following the lengthy recipe for the smoothies in a blink of an eye.

Tsukishima wiped the newly formed drops of sweat trailing down the tips of his windswept bangs with a cloth. He looked at the horizon and realized that the sun was just about to make its goodbyes. He glanced down at the mushy, coral red slush that splattered on the preparation table in front of him. His messy apron was barely hanging on to his neck and was probably one movement away from slipping off. He looked behind him and watched Yamaguchi diligently clean up their patio space. 

Tsukishima knew what he had to do, and it wasn’t to be a kind boyfriend and help Yamaguchi out. 

He crept up to the freckled boy’s blind spots.

With the swift motion of his hands, he now had captured Yamaguchi in his embrace successfully. He wore a mischievously playful grin, tickling him exactly where the strawberry design was on his shirt.

“Hahahahaha! T-Tsukki!” He squealed, clutching his arms over his belly. 

Feeling as if he was slowly losing detainment, he swooped Yamaguchi up off of the ground and carried him in his arms. He laughed even harder and tried to hide his flustered face with his hands. 

  
Afterwards, he laid his boyfriend down gently on one of the two lawn reclining chairs on the patio deck and went to pour their drinks. 

He returned holding a tray with two fancy wine glasses filled to the brim with Strawberry Daiquiris. He set it down on the table that stood in the middle of the two recliners.

Tsukishima let out a heavy sigh of relief as he kicked back with the frothy smoothie in his hands and his lovely boyfriend next to him. He took a few cautious sips, but quickly downed the entire glass after getting hooked on its sweet and smooth, yet tangy and strong taste.

Just as he finished the cup and making it as clear as it was before the drink was poured in, the sun was completely set as well. A starry night sky was swapped in from the vibrant red and orange hues of the sunset that accompanied them while they mixed their drinks. 

The myriads of constellations decorating the sky reminded him of Yamaguchi’s freckles. He sighed happily to himself with the thought of him in his mind. 

He faced him, and noticed that with his messy green hair into a ponytail and his deeply flushed cheeks, Yamaguchi looked like a strawberry. 

Tsukishima sat up in his chair, eager to share this interesting revelation. A realization so silly, he hoped they would laugh endlessly for hours until their stomachs hurt and faces numbed. 

“Yamaguchiiiiii~” Tsukishima’s voice fell into a slur at the very last vowel. 

He immediately shut his mouth when he heard himself. Was he drunk already?    
He rubbed the sides of his forehead, but was soon stopped with the soft touch of Yamaguchi’s fingers on his hand.  

He turned to question him, but when he laid his gaze upon the blush that enveloped Yamaguchi’s entire face, Tsukishima ran into another realization: Yamaguchi was already tipsy. 

He observed that his almond shaped eyes looking even droopier, yet still overflowed with passion, love, and a hint of sleepiness. 

Yamaguchi reached out lazily for Tsukishima’s hand and squeezed it tight.

“I feel cold….I wanna go inside and sleep…” The freckled boy whined. His head was slowly bobbing downwards, and he was having trouble lifting it up. 

Tsukishima carefully carried Yamaguchi up from the recliner and cradled him in his arms like a small child. He tiptoed inside quietly and sat him up on the black leather couch in the lounge room. Tsukishima took the seat right next to him and was readied with cloth, tissues, and kisses just in case.

Yamaguchi’s body slumped down sideways and lied on top of on Tsukishima. Yamaguchi rolled over so that his head would be cozily nestled in the warm, inviting feeling of Tsukishima’s soft and pale skin. 

“My stomach isn’t a pillow…” He felt too clouded and sluggish to do anything else except mumble and stutter. 

Yamaguchi pouted angrily. He positioned himself up higher so that his lips would meet Tsukishima’s mouth. The boys were now locking lips, involving themselves in a messy make-out session. Blankets, the shirts they were wearing, and throw pillows were knocked down from the couch as the two rustled around and clumsily captivated themselves in each other. Yamaguchi pulled away to plant as many drunk kisses as he could all over Tsukishima’s face.

The freckled boy left glossy lip stains on his forehead, nose, cheeks, jawline, and eyelids.   
  
  
A faint light from the hanging lanterns dancing with the summer’s midnight breeze outside the patio shone through, making the room bright enough for Yamaguchi to see. He fixated down at the wicker basket Tsukishima brought inside and had an idea promptly spark up in his foggy mind. He sloppily untied the baby pink ribbon that was wrapped around the basket’s handles. After five or so tries, he finally had it strung across his palms. He was able to tie the ribbon around Tsukishima’s wrists with five more laughable attempts. Yamaguchi lifted Tsukishima’s arms up, so that they’d dangle beyond his head and wouldn’t be able to veil Tsukishima’s cute face or lovely body.

Tsukishima reacted with a sudden release of his suppressed tipsy giggles and Yamaguchi laughed right along with him.

Yamaguchi lowered his body to perfectly place his cherry lips on Tsukishima’s collarbones. More lipgloss crowded around the small scatters of love bites Yamaguchi made on his skin. 

Yamaguchi’s eyes lit up with even more love for the boy he was on top of when he saw the faded purples and blues of hickeys starting to show on Tsukishima’s neck.

Tsukishima couldn’t what was unfolding in front of him clearly. Being buzzed already made his naturally blurry vision without glasses on worse. All Tsukishima could do was mumble gibberish and laugh a little bit too much whenever he felt Yamaguchi’s tender touching tickle at him.   
He felt so flustered beyond his control that he was afraid that his heart would pop out of his chest. He could already hear how rapid and wild his heartbeat sounded!

It was the only noise that filled the lulled room, besides the sounds of Yamaguchi’s lips touching his skin. 

As if the freckled boy were reading his mind, he stopped to place his hand over Tsukishima’s heart to listen to it. 

“It’s beating so fast.…” The corners of Yamaguchi’s mouth perked up into a sly smile. He lightly caressed Tsukishima’s jaw and cheeks while he kissed him. With his other hand, he gently massaged Tsukishima’s broad shoulders. Yamaguchi inched down and rubbed his back.   
He then trailed down lower to his belly and hips, each movement feeling more pleasing to him than the next. 

“Can you untie my hands?” “T-The ribbon’s itching me…..” Tsukishima hiccuped. 

Yamaguchi shook his head sleepily.  He gave his cheek a sloppy peck before sliding his hand lower to massage Tsukishima’s inner thighs, one of his most sensitive spots.

“W-Why not…?”

“ ‘Cause….” Yamaguchi giggled. Too exhausted to strip Tsukishima down to his underwear, he simply laid back down on top of him and was ready to take a catnap. 

“C-C--” Yamaguchi interrupted himself with a kitten-like yawn. 

“ ‘Cause.” Yamaguchi giggled with delight when he finally said it. “ ‘Cause I l-like seeing you like this. Y-You…. always hide your face whenever you get embarrassed and it makes me sad…”

“You have a pretty face…..Don’t hide it….” Yamaguchi’s voice became drawn out.    
This was the very last word the freckled boy said for the night. He was now peacefully resting on top of the boy he loved. Yamaguchi snored and drooled while Tsukishima silently fixated on his boyfriend. Seeing Yamaguchi sleep like an angel also made him feel relaxed as well.

He felt a dorky smile spread across his face that he didn’t know how to get rid of.    
  
Tsukishima still kept this dorky grin as his heavy eyelids shut themselves tight and he drifted off to sleep.

 

When he woke up, he suddenly felt a lot lighter. He realized that Yamaguchi wasn’t sleeping on top of him anymore. Instead, Akiteru was standing beside the couch, peering down on a hungover and exhausted Tsukishima.

He kneeled down and lathered a creamy, homemade bruise antidote all over Tsukishima’s love bites.

Akiteru met Tsukishima’s tired eyes with a smirk.

“Looks like someone had a good night.”


	8. flower delivery service

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmm here it is... a tragic & angsty yamaguchi backstory chapter...
> 
> this also happens to be the fluffiest & longest chapter in the whole fic and yamaguchi has adorable baby pictures and is a momma's boy and a cute and caring brother for his little sisters and is an angel with his prince tsukishima for a boyfriend so no you can't miss out on at all that and skip the angst by avoiding this chapter

The following days full of pounding headaches, lazing around and eating fruit on the futon, and sending embarrassingly cute texts back and forth to his boyfriend went by like a blur.

It was the last day of August, and Tsukishima was cruising along a vacant pathway that took him and his white convertible far away from Miyagi’s shopping central and into the calmer countryside region of the town.

Seeing the sight of large cherry blossom trees on each side of the road brighten up the bleak, blue sky instead of modern duplex buildings and lingerie billboards relieved Tsukishima. 

He felt his heart pound in his chest as he drove past a green stoplight. To anyone else, the intersection he just saw was the standard kind of street.

Unlike anyone else, Tsukishima saw more than pavement and concrete. He could still see the trails of blood and shattered glass littered throughout the road from a devastating car crash where his father had died.   
He tried to shake off the memory as best as he could. He imagined himself wiping away the trauma like how the windshield wipers of his Honda swept away all the petals falling onto the window.

  
Tsukishima parked on the cherry blossom petal covered driveway in front of a cozy, yet modern and sleek cottage-style house.

He opened the trunk of his car and heaved a huge teddy bear plush in his arms. He felt aflutter to present his boyfriend with a stuffed surprise at his doorstep. He knew it was the perfect opportunity to catch Yamaguchi off guard with a flustered face.  
  
  
Tsukishima knocked on the door gently with shaky hands. He felt the same butterflies in his stomach that he experiences whenever Yamaguchi kisses him.

The lattice door slid open to reveal a familiar freckled person with kind almond shaped eyes, forest green hair, a light tanned complexion, and an angelic and inviting smile. Their silky and long, thin locks flowed loosely to their waist.    
“Tsukki, nice to see you!” How have you and Akkey been holding up?” They tilted their head and rested their arm on their hip while they took in the sight of Tsukishima in awe. 

“My brother and I been doing alright. Mother doesn’t come home as early as she used to, but she still looks after us.”

“I’m glad!” The person in front of him radiated a smile that was so genuine, it was almost contagious. Tsukishima definitely knew where Yamaguchi got his unmistakably brilliant smiles from.

The gentle eyed and calm woman in front of him ran her own flower delivery service right at home. She helped provide his father’s funeral with the prettiest display of his father’s favorite flowers and tree saplings, all with no cost. 

“Come inside, sweetie! It’s been so long, it’d be nice to catch up on things.” She beckoned him inside the foyer of their house with a welcoming hand. 

“Thank you, Mizuki-san.” He bowed and set aside his rose gold sneakers.   
“Call me Mizuki, dear.”   
  


* * *

  
“I’m very delighted you finally had the opportunity to meet my son. He’s a darling, isn’t he?”

He couldn’t help but notice that Yamaguchi’s mother gushed about her child just like how Yamaguchi would smother Tsukishima in praise so sweet, it could give him cavities. 

“I didn’t know he was your son….I was surprised that you had one. I didn’t see him at my father’s service.” He took a delightful, hearty sip of the matcha tea Mizuki-san had prepared for him. 

“You’re about the same age as Tadashi, aren’t you?”

Tsukishima nodded. At the fair, Tsukishima learned that Yamaguchi was just about two months younger than him. 

“You both were small kids when the accident happened. I knew that Tadashi was too young and innocent to fully register what being in an environment as depressing and serious as a funeral meant, so he didn’t come with me.” 

Tsukishima nodded again. “Where is he now?”

“He’s helping his baby sister put on a new change of clothes. My sweet Tomoki had a little accident on her dress just now.”

“He’ll be downstairs soon for sure. You’ll get to even meet Tomoki too!” Mizuki-san added with a reassuring grin.   
“Oh, alright.” Tsukishima eyed the marvelous, fluffy teddy bear that sat next to him on the loveseat sofa.

“Awww, is that for him?” Mizuki-san perked an eyebrow.

“Yes, actually.” 

“How thoughtful of you! It’s even his favorite color..” Mizuki-san swooned.

Tsukishima let out a shy laugh. 

Mizuki-san rose up out of her vintage rocking chair and made space for herself on the couch. She plopped down next to Tsukishima and held his hand with a soft touch.

“I really would like to thank you, sweetheart. You’re so generous to my beautiful baby boy. You have such a kind soul.” 

“It’s nothing, really.” Tsukishima chuckled nervously.

“Nothing? You might not know how much you have changed his life for the better.” 

Mizuki-san took the memory album that was sitting on the coffee table and placed it on her lap. She carefully opened up the book and directed Tsukishima’s attention to the very first page. Yamaguchi’s pictures were nowhere near dorky like Tsukishima’s. Anyone taking a look at a baby Yamaguchi sleeping peacefully while he cuddled stuffed bunnies and blankets as white and fluffy as clouds would think he was a little angel from heaven.

As Mizuki-san flipped through each page, the pictures only got cuter. Tsukishima felt his heart melt looking at photos of Yamaguchi drooling while he napped, smiling while he ate his baby food, and giving two very big puppies hugs.   
  
Then, Mizuki-san started to show Tsukishima pictures of Yamaguchi throughout primary school. In class photos where each student was organized from tallest to shortest in height, he noticed that Yamaguchi was almost always the tiniest in every one.

Yamaguchi’s mother took more time looking at the photos of her son in elementary school. Tsukishima was concerned when she saw her nostalgic and sentimental gaze become worried, and even brooding.   
He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Mizuki-san’s sudden comment.

“Tadashi told me all about you. He told me about how he rescued you from drowning, and he said that from then on, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. He would always tell me how badly he wished to get to know you, and he would say the sweetest things about you with sparkles in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. He’s made acquaintances with the nice boys you’re friends with too. He also got to know a pretty boy named Tooru and two boys named Tobio and Shoyo. He’s made lots of friends over the summer, and I couldn’t be more proud for him. Ah, Tadashi’s grown so much!” 

Tsukishima felt himself start to blush. 

“You see, Tadashi never had any real friends at school.” Mizuki-san sighed. 

“He’s a very sweet boy, but he was so shy. He wasn’t good at talking to people.”

“He got the sweats when he met someone new. Sometimes, he would even break down and cry whenever he tried to talk because he was just that anxious.”

Tsukishima felt her words pierce into his heart. While she recalled his childhood anxiety and hardships, it was as if he could feel Yamaguchi’s struggles as well.

“I think you can imagine how the other kids at school saw him.”

“They saw how timid he was, and picked on him so terribly. They would call him names, steal his things, and even pick fights with him. Not one person helped him out and showed him the littlest bit of kindness.”

“It seemed like everyday, he was coming home with a new band-aid or a fresh wrap of gauze on a new place.”

The pain in Tsukishima’s heart grew. His pity was a weed growing in his chest.

“The bullying Tadashi had to deal with for years took a toll on him. It only made his anxiety and social skills even worse. He couldn’t even communicate with his own family properly sometimes.”

Mizuki-san was absent-mindedly swiping through the pages now, not even stopping to look at the photos. She finally looked down on a page she just happened to come across and widened her eyes in fear.

Tsukishima glanced at what Mizuki-san seemed to be scared of. It was a polaroid picture of Yamaguchi sitting up in a hospital bed, surrounded by ‘Get Well’ balloons and flower bouquets. He was hugging a stuffed bunny that was bigger than him. His solemn, tear-stricken face was barely noticeable behind the plushie’s large size. On the bottom of the picture’s border, there was kanji written on the bottom with a sharpie. 

“ _ My precious Tadashi is safe and all better today.”  _ He quietly read the characters to himself. 

“He usually got bullied by a group of boys much bigger than him. They would tell him that they were his friend, but they would force him to follow them around. They threatened him into doing whatever they wanted for a long, long time. One day, the bullying became enough to hospitalize him.” Mizuki-san stopped herself to pay attention to where the sound of footsteps were coming from. She watched Yamaguchi walk down the stairs with his little sister with a warm smile. Yamaguchi looked down at them and his paced walking immediately became a sprint. He hurried down the stairs to greet Tsukishima. 

  
“TSUKKIIIIIII!!~” Yamaguchi cheered. 

“Not so loud please! You’ll scare Tomoki, dear.” Mizuki-san called out. 

Tsukishima pulled his bubbly boyfriend in for a cuddle and sealed a kiss on his cheek. Yamaguchi giggled, a grin spreading from ear-to-ear on his freckled face. 

“Tsukki, this is Tomoki! Isn’t she just the cutest girl~?” Yamaguchi cooed, lightly bouncing the sleepy baby in his arms. 

Tsukishima bent down to look at her and curled up the corners of his lips into a smile. “She’s very cute.” 

He thought that Tomoki having her bangs pinned back with a Hello Kitty clip just like Yamaguchi did made the two look even more adorable. 

Mizuki-san was smiling too. She put the memory book away and picked up the wooden broom that leaned on her rocking chair. 

“You boys have your fun, I’ll be tending to the flower beds outside if you need me.” 

Yamaguchi nodded.

“Thank you, Mizuki-san.”

“Call me Mizuki, dear!”

* * *

Tsukishima followed Yamaguchi upstairs to put Tomoki to bed.

The freckled boy yawned when he came out of her bedroom. He rubbed his eyes and mustered a sleepy grin at his boyfriend. 

“You look tired. Are you still hung over?” Tsukishima pointed out. 

“A little. I still have a few headaches here and there.” He sauntered closer to Tsukishima. “What about you?” Yamaguchi lazily wrapped his arms around his small and skinny hips. 

“I’m fine. I just can’t get rid of  _ these.”  _ He craned his neck to reveal freshly made, deep red and purple love bites that were trailing down along his neck and collarbones. 

“School’s almost starting too. How am I supposed to hide these?”

“Sorry, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi mumbled sheepishly. He hugged Tsukishima’s hips tighter as an act of consolation.

  
The sound of toy blocks dropping on the floor out of the blue made them both jolt. Yamaguchi immediately slipped his arms away and whipped around to face a little girl bending down to pick up the toys she dropped.

“Tsukumi, are you okay?” Yamaguchi sighed in relief, but kept a concerned look on his face.

She played with her midnight blue curls and nodded shyly. 

“Oh! Tsukumi, this is my boyfriend! His name is Tsukki, and he’s very cute.” “Say hi!” Yamaguchi beamed.

Instead of greeting him, Tsukumi blankly stared into his oval-shaped eyes. Awkwardness lingered over the three as she fixated on him without a hint of expression on her freckled face.

The sudden stomps she made across the carpet as she dashed back into her room startled them both. 

Tsukishima felt his heart drop to his chest.

“Oh Tsukki, I’m sorry about that.. Tsukumi is usually a very polite girl. I don’t know why she didn’t say hi to you….” 

“That’s okay.” He lied. Tsukishima always felt self-conscious about how his intimidating appearance drove people away from him, even if they were only children.

 

Tsukumi made careful steps when she peered out from her door. She approached Tsukishima with a children’s storybook. 

Yamaguchi kneeled down to meet Tsukumi’s droopy hazel eyes. “Tsukumi, I need you to say sorry to Tsukki. Running away wasn’t nice at all-”

Tsukumi ignored her older brother and stared at Tsukishima again with a livelier expression than before. “YOU!” She screamed.

“M-me…?” Tsukishima flinched, almost losing his balance.

“YOU’RE THE PRINCE FROM MY BOOK!!” Her piercing, high-pitched voice couldn’t have reached a higher level. 

“I’m the….what?” Tsukishima furrowed his eyebrows.

Yamaguchi leaned in close to Tsukishima to whisper in his ear. “Just go with it.” 

Tsukumi nodded wildly and opened up her book to reveal a colored drawing of a smiling prince. Just like Tsukishima, the prince had beach blonde waves of hair, big and round amber eyes, soft and rosy cheeks, dimples, and a translucently pale complexion.

“Oh.. yeah… that’s me…” Tsukishima felt himself blush. 

“Why are you wearing these? You don’t have these in the book.” Tsukumi raised her eyebrow suspiciously and poked at the rims of Tsukishima’s glasses.

Tsukishima desperately looked at Yamaguchi for help, but the freckled boy flashed a small, nervous smile.

“I just got them recently...umm.. I had trouble seeing but now I can see again because I’m wearing these glasses.”

“You looked better without them.” “Take them off!” Tsukumi demanded.

Tsukishima hesitantly removed his glasses with a nod of agreement from Yamaguchi. Tsukumi was no longer a short, pudgy girl with curly hair and chubby freckled cheeks, but a blue and blurry blob.

Tsukumi clapped her hands together. “YAY!!!! NOW ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS SMILE!!!”   
Smile? Tsukishima thought about the word as if he didn’t know what it meant. He pouted and shot Yamaguchi a pathetic “do-i-really-have-to-smile?” look. The nod Yamaguchi answered him with tore Tsukishima’s heart in half.

He forced himself to beam a dorky and uncomfortable grin. He was hopelessly waiting for the little girl to be satisfied enough and stomp back into her room. 

Tsukumi was more than satisfied. She hopped up and down while twirling and flailing her arms. Her innocent, childish glee was radiating and close to glowing. 

“A PRINCE!!! A PRINCE!!! MY BROTHER HAS A HANDSOME PRINCE BOYFRIEND!” She cheered, a little too loudly.  
  


Mid-cheer, she stopped herself. She plopped down on the carpet and her happiness faded away. She was left with a somber look.

“Tsukumi, are you okay?” Yamaguchi sat himself down on the floor, carrying Tsukumi and placing her on his lap gently. He pulled her into a tender hug. 

Tsukumi looked up at her brother with tears dropping from her hooded lids. “I want a prince boyfriend too.”    
“Awww…” Yamaguchi playfully messed up her curly locks and planted a kiss on her head.

Tsukishima perched down on his knees and tried to think of ways to solace the young child. His face immediately lit up with an idea. As a faux prince, he decided to give some her royal advice.

“Tsukumi, how old are you?”

Tsukumi was now focused on Tsukishima, her eyes filled with admiration as she stared. “I’m five and a half!”

Tsukishima let out a small laugh. “You’re still very young. You have lots of time before you’ll find royalty of your own soon.” 

Tsukumi gasped with surprise. “REALLY?! LIKE WHEN IM SIX?!!”

“That’s still a little young, I’m afraid. I know that you’ll grow up to be a beautiful princess, though.” Tsukishima was unaware that he had a calm and soothing smile on his princely face. He never realizes that he’s capable of showing anything more but a condescending half-smirk. 

Tsukishima only noticed that his encouraging words helped the joy in her face return.

  
He also noticed Yamaguchi mouthing words to him. After giving him a confused stare, the freckled boy sighed and repeated what he said.

Tsukishima finally understood. He nodded and looked down at Tsukumi.

“Tsukumi, would you want a kiss on your cheek from a prince?” He asked.

The little girl bounced on Yamaguchi’s lap. “Yes! Yes! Yes!!!” 

Tsukishima gave her a small and light peck. The little kiss was enough to overwhelm Tsukumi with lovestruck emotions too heavy for a child to handle. She burst into tears and burrowed herself in Yamaguchi’s chest. 

Both boys’ eyes widened in shock. Tsukishima covered his mouth with a shameful hand. 

“Tsukumi! Are you alright? Why are you crying?” Yamaguchi’s voice was shaky.

“I’m….I’m so happy….I got kissed….by a prince!!” Tsukumi sobbed in between her lavish bouts of tears.

“Awww, It’s okay. whenever Tsukki kisses me, I get emotional too. He’s just so, so cute!” 

As if Tsukishima wasn’t embarrassed enough, Yamaguchi puckered his lips and made kissy noises all while looking at him. Tsukishima hid his face in his hands. 

Tsukumi nodded in agreement and buried her head further into Yamaguchi’s warm embrace. 

“Want me to bring you some leftover mochi balls from yesterday? I know they’re your favorite~” Yamaguchi patted Tsukumi’s tummy. 

“Yeah!!” 

“Okay, wait here with Tsukki.” Yamaguchi rose up and stepped down into the kitchen.  
  


Tsukumi looked at the prince with a blush spread across her face and a shyness in her sparkling eyes. She couldn’t decide on which nervous habit to settle for. She held her hands in front of her, then scratched at the freckles on the tip of her nose. 

“I..” Tsukumi started. “I wish my brother was a prince too. He’s just some boring, normal person.”

“That’s not true at all.” Tsukishima straightened his posture and narrowed her eyes at her defensively. 

Tsukumi tilted her head.

“It’s not true. He’s so much more than what you make him out to be.”

“He’s an angel.” He added.

Tsukumi tilted her head in the other direction. “How?”

“Your brother saved my life.” “He  _ rescued  _ me. Without him, I wouldn’t be smiling like I am. I wouldn’t have the slightest bit of happiness.”    
“What did he do?”

“I was drowning. If it weren’t for him, I could’ve been gone for good.” “When he held me in his arms and gave me the most reassuring and the kindest smile I’ve ever seen, I knew that it wasn’t a lifeguard, but an angel that I saw.”

“He breathes love into me...he warms me up...he makes me feel  _ alive.” _

_ “ _ No human has an impact this magical. It can only be an angel’s heavenly touch.”

Tsukumi’s legs wobbled when she quickly stood up off of the floor. “WAIT!!! TADASHI SAVED  _ YOU _ R LIFE AT THE BEACH??” 

“YOU WERE THE DROWNING GUY HE TALKED ABOUT?!” Tsukumi sent spit flying from her mouth while she shrieked.

As if on cue, Yamaguchi returned with a cat-shaped paper plate stacked with sticky and sweet peach mochi balls. 

Tsukumi immediately swiped the plate from his hand and jumped down the stairs, squealing about how excited she was to have an actual angel for a brother. 

Yamaguchi stifled a laugh while watching her hop away. He went over to his prince boyfriend and squished Tsukishima’s bashful face with his angelic hands.

“How does this feel, Tsukki? Does it warm you up? Does it make you feel alive?” Yamaguchi teased, right before giggling and planting a kiss on his lips. 

* * *

Tsukishima knew there was nothing better than the casual and cozy, yet intimate feeling of cuddling with your boyfriend. This romantic little moment he shared with Yamaguchi on his couch with a cheesy dorama as background noise was almost sweeter than strawberries.

Yamaguchi was sitting on his lap, comfortably curled up against Tsukishima. 

He encased his arms around Yamaguchi’s body. The freckled boy responded to the gesture by flashing a cute grin at him and nestling his head further into his shoulders.

Tsukishima was about to seal a kiss on his forehead when he noticed something about him. Seeing the familiar strawberry design and mouse holes of the green shirt Yamaguchi wore struck him like lightning. 

“You’re wearing the shirt I let you use…” Tsukishima pressed the strawberry on Yamaguchi’s belly. The ticklish sensation made him laugh.

“Mhm.” Yamaguchi nodded and went back to resting his head peacefully. 

Tsukishima poked his cheek. “Hey. I thought my brother told you I should give you a shirt that you can  _ borrow. _ ”

“I’m still borrowing it.” Yamaguchi pouted adorably and hid his face behind Tsukishima’s neck to avoid more of his boyfriend’s chastising.

“And I’m never giving it back….” He added with a whisper.

“Why not? I never said you could  _ keep _ it.”

“I love this shirt.” Yamaguchi whined. 

“I love it because it has a strawberry on it, and I know you like them. I love it because it smells like vanilla and honey. It smells like you. It’s soft and cozy too. It feels like you. This shirt is a piece of you, and I love that a lot.”

Tsukishima felt his face heat up. “Fine…you can have it, I guess.” He grumbled in defeat.

Yamaguchi pulled him into a hug. “I love you, Tsukki!”

 

Their lovely, paradise-like ambience was interrupted from a scream echoing from the other room. 

Yamaguchi swiftly sat up and removed himself from Tsukishima’s embrace. Tsukishima suddenly felt colder without having him to cuddle. 

‘AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!” An olive green haired girl with freckles raced past Yamaguchi and leapt on top of Tsukishima.

Tsukishima let out a shriek of his own, and tried to shake the frazzled girl off of his body. The girl clung to him like glue, and had her small arms locked tightly around his waist. Tsukishima coughed out for air, trying to force the little girl’s arms apart. 

“Takami!” Yamaguchi snapped. “What are you doing? You’re going to suffocate Tsukki!”

“I need to hide behind him!” Takami let out a gravelly breath. “Tomoe’s chasing me and he’s the perfect hiding spot! He’s just like a telephone pole!”

“Gee, thanks.” Tsukishima mumbled with the diminishing amount of respiration he had left.

“Well, you need to be careful! You scared Tsukki!” Yamaguchi scolded.

Takami muttered a shamefaced apology to her brother and willingly let him cradle her in his arms. She looked back at Tsukishima with a guilty frown. 

“You can hide behind me instead.”

Yamaguchi’s heavenly expression and compassionately calm voice worked like a charm. Takami obeyed and held onto her brother with a grin. It only had to be the work of an angel.

Tomoe came rushing into the room. She slid across the wooden tiles, almost tripping over the fuzzy, sunflower yellow blanket that was flowing behind her. 

“Tomoe!” Yamaguchi called out. “Be careful!”

“I didn’t know you were playing! That’s not fair!” Tomoe cried out, pointing a small finger at her older brother.

Takami stuck out her tongue at Tomoe from behind Yamaguchi. Tomoe looked as if she were about to cry.

“H-How about we start a new game? All of us can play and it’ll be fair.” Yamaguchi suggested, nervously pushing the tips of his fingers together. 

The two sisters nodded in agreement.

Successful compromising and soothing meditation? An angel’s magic never failed to amaze Tsukishima. 

“Can the string bean play too?” Tomoe pointed at Tsukishima. 

“Gee, thanks.” Tsukishima sulked under his breath.

Yamaguchi giggled with a hand veiling his mouth, hoping he wouldn’t hear his muffled laughter.

“He can play if he wants.” Yamaguchi turned to Tsukishima. “Tsukki, do you want to play with us?”

Tsukishima slumped his shoulders up and down. “Sure, why not. It seems fun.”

* * *

Not one person acknowledged the clear and sunny August sky evanesce without a trace. The sapphire blues turned into taupe and ebony blacks, creating a completely different sight outside the cottage’s windows. 

Tsukishima was too busy getting competitive in countless rounds of tag and hide and seek with his boyfriend and his sisters, getting over his fear of dogs by braving himself up to play with the family’s two chubby chow chows, and teaching his boyfriend a few romantic words in English with the teddy bear he gave him. He hadn’t felt as careless, as childish, and as happy in a long time as he was reliving his childhood with the hospitable and sweet family. The blonde boy had forgotten what having simple fun meant, until a certain angel had shown him that it was okay to enjoy himself sometimes.

The hours of playtime hadn’t drained him; it had motivated him and made him feel more energetic than he had ever felt. As he touched the door handle and was set off to drive back to Miyagi’s city skyline, he wished that there were more hours in a day. Twisting the handle made Tsukishima’s heart contort as well. He looked back at his boyfriend standing on the doorstep, who also looked desolate to watch him go.

“I hope you visit us again soon. My sisters had lots of fun with you here, and my dogs also loved having more people to play fetch with. We really like you, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi fondled with the giant teddy bear he held against his body. 

“I enjoyed myself too.” His lips perked up.

“Thank you for the teddy bear. And the shirt.” A soft blush accompanied the sheepish smile on Yamaguchi’s face.

Tsukishima chuckled. “You’re welcome.” 

Fireflies flew around their front yard and shone on Yamaguchi’s face, making his freckles light up like stars. The bugs circled their house, illuminating patches of grass, the pearly white walls, and even Tsukishima’s convertible. 

The two boys followed the speckles of light fly around as they flashed to and fro. The fireflies eventually flew away, off to bring more amusement to the house beside Yamaguchi’s.

They both met each other’s eyes and broke into a fit of giggles.   
  
  
Tsukishima stopped laughing. 

“I-I really need to go.” The sad words Tsukishima mumbled killed off the delightful mood immediately. 

Yamaguchi’s bright and lovely face dimmed into sorrow. “Yeah, it’s getting kinda late.”

Yamaguchi looked down at the grass below his feet. He pressed his teddy bear’s hand to activate a button that was hidden deep in its plush fur.

“ _ Baby, I love you!”  _ A jolly voice rose out from the stuffed animal’s sound box.

_ “...Baby, I love you!” _ Yamaguchi repeated with a sweet grin, trying to imitate the bear’s clear English. The freckled boy still had trouble differentiating his l’s from his r’s, and couldn’t properly enunciate the word ‘baby’, but to Tsukishima, Yamaguchi’s English was perfect enough. 

“I love you too. I’ll see you soon, alright?” Tsukishima thought it was impossible to try and stop the dorky smile that was spreading on his face. He swooped in and sheltered Yamaguchi in a gentle squeeze. He felt his cheeks become hot as he felt the smooth sensation of the freckled boy’s bare lips, free of any lip gloss.  
  
  
Heat. In his cheeks. On his lips. In his ears. 

He had always hated heat. He hated how hot summer was. He hated feeling woozy under the blazing sun and feeling faint the second he stepped outside. He would usually resort to the solitude of the shut doors of his cold room during the season.

The love burning inside of him made Tsukishima do things that weren’t anywhere near usual. He was locking lips with a cute, freckled angel outside at 10 p.m. on a humid, August day.    
The love he had for the boy he held tenderly made his thoughts become unconventional and scattered. He’d be constantly daydreaming of his boyfriend everyday. He couldn’t even focus on a book without thinking about how a character, or a sentence he read reminded him of the freckled boy. Whenever he thought about the word love, his sweetheart was the first and only person he thought of. He played the thought of him over and over in his head and never got tired of it.

 

The strangest thought of them all? As long as he was with Yamaguchi, he didn’t mind the things he nitpicked about summer.

He admiration for the season suddenly grew tonight. 

Now, he longed for it to last forever.


	9. autumn leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the only chapter in yamaguchi's POV (point of view) !  
> i feel like i should've added more in his POV and in other characters' POV's as well...

Yamaguchi stared at the drowsy boy with sleepy, puppy-like eyes in the mirror. He slowly lifted up a hesitant hand to his babyface and caressed the freckles that were sprinkled generously across his cheeks and nose. 

Then, he pulled up his cloud grey v-neck nightshirt. More hidden freckles were revealed that dotted his skinny back and curvy hips. A small cluster of speckles were spread across his soft belly.    
He slid his long, thin fingers across every single one of the marks that decorated his body. 

He looked back up at the boy in the mirror. He usually treated his reflection with a somber frown, or bitterly turned away without giving it the time of day. 

Today, Yamaguchi greeted him with a smile. 

Instead of reflecting on the times schoolboys and schoolgirls would tease him about his freckles and call them ugly, his mind and heart were unexpectedly filled with of happy thoughts.    
Happy thoughts of his lovely boyfriend kissing each freckle of his, making even the most insignificant patch of skin on him feel adored.

Thoughts of the boy he loved the most telling Yamaguchi how beautiful his freckles looked on his skin.

With Tsukishima’s affection, Yamaguchi was able to finally love the things he hated about himself.

 

Yamaguchi walked out with a confident grin and a skip in his step while he made his way to school. He didn’t give the feeling of his book-heavy Kanken backpack beating down on his shoulders, and the dreadfulness of his first day at university any attention. Anxiety would always counter the pick-me-ups and drag him to the floor with talk-me-downs, but he was even able to turn a blind eye to all his negative thoughts today. He felt lighter than a feather, and as if absolutely nothing could clip his angel wings. 

He mindlessly daydreamed about how cute Tsukishima would look in his school uniform. Would he be preppy and polished? Adorably dorky? Like a handsome and hot delinquent? The possibilities were endless for Yamaguchi to fantasize about.

He wondered about how he should meet up with Tsukishima. Should he surprise him and run into his arms? Should he casually approach him and see Tsukishima melt over how cool he’d look? Should they meet someplace private and wrap each other in kisses and hugs?

He hummed a love song he listened to on his record player yesterday to himself while he happily made his way to the station.   
  
  
The sight of the intimidatingly fancy university through the windows filled Yamaguchi’s stomach with butterflies. He had barely spotted the start of its campus two miles before the actual location of the school’s train stop. He watched the blurry sight speed through his eyes for what seemed like millions of kilometers. Knowing that the school was more than two miles long made Yamaguchi wanted to puke up the yogurt bowl he ate for breakfast that morning.

He held his hands over his belly and took nervous steps down from the train and onto the sidewalk. 

He watched some students swarm rapidly in groups down the pavement, either engaging in intellectual chat Yamaguchi couldn’t understand, or immerse themselves in textbooks thicker than the sidewalk itself.

He grew dizzy just watching the rush of university life. He felt his anxiety slowly started to creep up on him. He could feel it slithering up his back and crawling inside his mind.   
He started to worry that he wouldn’t be able to handle being a student in one of the biggest and most prestigious schools in Japan. He feared not being able to graduate alongside his boyfriend and having all his arduous years of studying crushed into specks of dust.

He clutched his stomach tighter and sped through the crowds.   
  
  
Just as Yamaguchi felt as if he were about to burst into tears, vomit, or possibly both, he saw a familiar face standing around that brought ease to his anxiety. Gazing into his kind and graceful eyes, his rapid heartbeat relaxed when he focused on their twinkling amber color.

The freckled boy raced up to him and jumped on his back. “TSUKKI!!” He cried out.

Tsukishima shrieked, almost losing balance.    
After regaining his composure, he looked back at Yamaguchi with a calmer expression and sealed a kiss on his mouth.    
The remediating softness of the boy’s rosy lips made Yamaguchi feel tickled pink.    
“Tsukki! I’m so glad to see you!” He hopped down to wrap his boyfriend in a tight hug. 

“I am too.” Tsukishima pulled away to adjust the glasses on his flushed face.

“Tsukki!!” Yamaguchi gasped. “You got new glasses!”

Tsukishima looked down at the round, silver framed glasses he held at their temples. “I did.”

“You look so nerdy… and so cute!” Yamaguchi gushed. Even with Tsukishima’s bad boy ensemble of an undone shirt collar and unzipped leather jacket, Yamaguchi knew that Tsukishima would always be his adorably dorky sweetheart.   
  
“Nerdy?” He raised an eyebrow.

Yamaguchi nodded, looking up at him with hearts in his eyes. “And cute. Super cute.”

Tsukishima averted the freckled boy’s lovestruck look and stared down at the floor with a blush on his cheeks.

Yamaguchi was about to have a honest, heartfelt talk with him about his anxiety when he heard Tsukishima’s stomach growl.

“Didn’t you eat breakfast today?”

“I didn’t have time.” His stomach growled louder.   
“Tsukki…” Yamaguchi had a worried pout. “You need to eat. Breakfast is important for you!” He stood on his tippy toes and tenderly touched the side of Tsukishima’s cheek. Yamaguchi only ended up at a height of 5’11 after the summer season ended, but Tsukishima just seemed to keep on growing. He most likely towered to about 6’4 or 6’5. 

“I’ll just go buy something from the snack bar over there.” Tsukishima avoided Yamaguchi’s concerned, puppy-dog eyes.

“Please.” Yamaguchi begged. 

He watched Tsukishima trail off to the a la carte bar and let out a sigh of relief. Yamaguchi knew that Tsukishima had a small appetite and didn’t particularly eat enough during the day. Ever since they’ve been dating, Yamaguchi’s always made sure to ask him if he ate three full meals daily. 

 

Yamaguchi felt a tap on his shoulder. Then and there, he regretted looking back the moment he laid his eyes on the girl that stood behind him.

She was no more than 5’3, and had to crane her neck to even meet his eyes. 

“Tadashi-chan~!” She stared intently at him, eyeing Yamaguchi up and down and looking for any visible flaw to pick at. 

“H-Hi…” He nervously twirled the locks of his collarbone-length hair around his finger. 

“You look so different from middle school! You’re not unattractive anymore!”

_ Anymore.  _ He felt a knife stab at his heart. 

“Oh...yeah..I guess. Haha.” He shuffled his skater sneakers. 

The girl sighed. “You’re still as quiet as ever, though. Will you ever stop being so shy?”

_ Stop being so shy.  _ The demand tore his heart in half. 

“Sorry…” He held his hands together and fidgeted with them. 

“Do you remember me Tadashi-chan? You never talked to anyone because you were a loner, so I doubt you do.”

He didn’t show it, but he did remember the bully that stood in front of him as bright as day. Back in middle school, the girl was much taller than him. So large and intimidating that he felt as if he could squish him with her heeled boots. She was the evil mastermind responsible for turning Yamaguchi’s first crush on a girl against him and ultimately made her hate him.                            

She was also the roots that made Yamaguchi’s insecurities about his freckles grow. She would walk up to him in the halls, yell an insult about his freckles at him, and run away snickering with her jeering friends trailing behind her.

“Yeah… I remember you.” He awkwardly rubbed at the side of his neck. 

Yamaguchi was saved from any further humiliation when Tsukishima walked in between the two with a breakfast crepe in his hand. Yamaguchi immediately hid behind him and cautiously inched out his arm to try and hold Tsukishima’s hand. 

“Who’s this?” Tsukishima asked. He noticed that Yamaguchi’s fingers grazed his palm. He took the hint and tightly squeezed Yamaguchi’s hand with a sweet reassurance.             

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” She sneered. “I’m Tadashi-chan’s childhood friend.”

Tsukishima looked back at the freckled boy in confusion. “Is she really your friend?”

Yamaguchi slowly shook his head. Right as he denied, he immediately burrowed himself closer into Tsukishima’s jacket in fear, afraid that the girl would possibly hurt him again.

“T-Tadashi-chan! How could you say no?! We were having a lovely conversation just now!” She stormed closer to Tsukishima, but he stopped her by taking a step forward in her tracks and glaring down at her harshly. The girl backed away slowly and cowered. 

“If you were having such a nice chat, he wouldn’t be as scared as he is now.”   
“Who are you to even be speaking for Tadashi-chan?” She spat.

“I’m his boyfriend. I’m speaking for him because I want you to leave him alone.”

“WHAT?! Tadashi-chan, do something!!” She yelled, throwing her arms in the air in frustration.

“I’m sorry, but you weren’t very kind to me… and you still aren’t being any nicer right now….” Yamaguchi let his voice trail off shyly.

She stared at Tsukishima with bulging and wide snake-like eyes. Tsukishima narrowed his eyes with the same, cold expression.    
After a long stare-down, she finally felt defeated enough to make her leave. She huffed angrily and stomped away, muttering homophobic remarks to herself.                          

  
Yamaguchi looked up at Tsukishima. His lips were quivering and his eyes were beaded with tears.

Tsukishima wiped Yamaguchi’s tears away with his jacket sleeve and held his boyfriend close to him.

The freckled boy finally felt safe again in Tsukishima’s arms. The tender, loving warmth radiating from him made his heart and mind feel comfortably cozy. 

Yamaguchi stood up a little taller and smiled a little wider now that he knew he had a cute boy by his side.   
He felt confident while he made his way through the campus quad, hand-in-hand with someone that covered him in a blanket of protection and affection.

He held Tsukishima’s hand tight and felt the hot blush he had when he saw his boyfriend fill his cheeks again.                      
University suddenly seemed like Yamaguchi could tackle. As long as Tsukishima could encourage him with the bare minimum of a tiny kiss on his cheek, he felt like he was able to do anything. He felt like he could touch stars. He even felt like he could even shine bright like a star.    
He smiled happily to himself and started to quietly sing along to another love song that was on the tracklist of the vinyl he played the other day.

“What are you so bubbly about?” Tsukishima inquisitively raised an eyebrow.

“I’m happy because I love you! I’m so glad you’re here with me.” Yamaguchi beamed.

Tsukishima turned away, keeping his bashful gaze on the large, multiplex buildings around him. “I love you too.”

 

The words Yamaguchi gushed out to him gave Tsukishima a little glimpse of his actual thoughts.

In reality, Yamaguchi couldn’t put his overwhelming euphoria and adoration into words. He had to settle with the word exuberant.  
  
He felt exuberant, enthralled and simply alive because the charmingly handsome and dorky Tsukishima Kei had saved his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're reading this, i'd like to thank you so much for reading the entire fic! i really do hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> let me know down in the comments if you'd like me to keep this story updated with me writing some occasional fluffy, just-for-fun bonus chapters or POV chapters for this AU!

**Author's Note:**

> again, thank you so much for clickin on my lil fanfic :')
> 
> also, don't forget! if you'd like to read my other fics, check out my profile for more tskym, klance, kagehina, or kuroken fluff ♡  
> if there's a pairing you'd like to see my write for, don't be afraid to leave suggestions! i'd kinda like to branch out of tsukkiyama, or just haikyuu and voltron in general and write for other ships & fandoms!


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